Azura
by aemelia113
Summary: What if Hawk Moth took on an apprentice instead of leaving the peacock miraculous in the safe to gather dust? What if that apprentice was Marinette? Read A/N in Ch 1, please for warnings & credit for inspiration. Rated T for future sin. Cover art by the lovely Z.O.E. on tumblr. They didn't draw it for me and there are other cute drawings of peacock Mari from their AU. Check it out!
1. Apprentice

**A/N: Inspired by Child_of_the_Fae's "Rise of Paonne and Renard Rouge." A lot of stuff about the peacock powers came directly from her, but my story takes a more villainous approach. Warning now for future age gap ship that is made clear to be unhealthy in the end, so no hate mail please. In this universe, Marinette never got the Ladybug Miraculous. That's all I can think of for now. Onwards and upwards!**

 **Chapter 1: Apprentice**

 **Gabriel Agreste was a man who appreciated quality of the highest caliber.**

 **He demanded it in his the work done by his employees, in the products that he purchased, and in people.**

 **It was for this reason that he pushed his son so hard to excellence.**

 **It was for this reason that many of his subordinates saw their boss as cold and unforgiving.**

 **It was for this reason that he was very frequently disappointed.**

 **However, his perceived "pickiness" meant that when he saw something or someone of high quality, he knew it right away.**

 **He had an inkling about the potential of Marinette Dupain-Cheng from the moment he met her, via a tablet carried around by his personal assistant. The mature, level-headed way in which she dealt with the attempted plagiarism of the spoiled Mlle. Bourgeois indicated both her calm integrity and her cleverness. Gabriel Agreste had been impressed by not only her talent for fashion, but her personal attributes as well. The first was uncommon, the second was even rarer, and the two coexisting side by side in a single individual was extraordinary.**

 **Gabriel decided to keep an eye on this unique girl and see if she showed further promise.**

 **"** **Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I think you have potential. How would you like to enter a work-study program as my personal intern?"**

 **"** **I- I would like that very much, Monsieur Agreste," she replied, clearly flustered by the unexpected offer, but also pleased. "Thank you for the opportunity. I promise you won't regret it."**

 **The fire in her eyes as she resolved to excel in the program and get a foothold in the industry of fashion caused Gabriel to have to hold back a smirk. Shy and reserved as she was, there was a passion and dedication in her. This one would be promising, indeed.**

 **He took her under his wing at Agreste fashion, and true to her word, he did not regret taking her on. She worked hard, was eager to learn, and had a true gift for design. He could see her rising all the way through the ranks at his company.**

 **However, it wasn't until his home was attacked by the akuma Simon Says that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had his full attention.**

 **He, Adrien, Adrien's hoodlum friend, Nathalie, Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Marinette were trapped in the mansion. The hypnotized zombie people battered down the gates and made it inside. Marinette, who had been visiting for some personal tutoring on inverted seams, surprised him by fighting valiantly against the attackers. Even without any sort of superpowers, she almost won. She whirled with violent dexterity and took out a significant number of assailants, but at last was overcome by the horde.**

 **Gabriel was abducted and taken to that ridiculous show, but Marinette had not given up on him. She pretended to be hypnotized and followed the army to the studio, where she kept an eye on her boss. It was fortunate that she did, because he wound up on the roof utterly convinced of his ability to fly and would have gone over the edge had it not been for Mlle. Dupain-Cheng tackling him to the ground. The spell broke not long afterward, and he stopped struggling against the astoundingly strong tiny girl.**

 **She jumped off of him as quick as a rabbit and stammered a dozen apologies, but he waved her off with a hand.**

 **"** **You saved my life, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. No apologies are necessary. If you will return to the mansion with me, there is something I would like to discuss with you."**

 **She obeyed, with trepidation. They stood in his office in front of the portrait of Mme. Agreste, which her mentor stared at silently for a long time, his back to her, hand hovering over his throat curiously.**

 **"** **Monsieur Agreste? Why have you called me here?" she ventured hesitantly.**

 **"** **You showed quite the fighting prowess today, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. Where did you learn that?"**

 **"** **Maman suggested that since I'm hopeless at Chinese, I should learn something else that connects me to our heritage. I was leaning towards ink and water brush painting, but Kung Fu seemed more practical for self-defense and such. I also hoped it might help with my clumsiness," she admitted.**

 **"** **Did it?"**

 **"** **Well, no. But when I do trip, I have the reflexes to keep myself from falling and breaking anything important," she joked.**

 **"** **Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I believe that there is something I need to show you."**

 **He moved to the painting and swung it away from the wall, revealing a safe, which he opened. He reached in and withdrew a beautiful belt clip in shades of teal, shaped like a peacock's tail feathers. He presented it to her on the palm of his hand, and she took it, turning it over in her fingers.**

 **"** **What is it?"**

 **"** **Do you know what miraculouses are?" he asked.**

 **"** **The thing Hawk Moth is always trying to take from Ladybug and Chat Noir?" she hazarded.**

 **"** **Yes. They are the source of their powers, stored in her earrings and his ring. They have the powers of the black cat and the ladybug. This," he said, pointing to the item in her hand, "is the peacock miraculous."**

 **"** **You want** ** _me_** **to become a superhero?"**

 **"** **Yes, I do. You have potential," he praised. "You proved that today when you fought off the minions of Simon Says, and as long as I have known you with your passion and dedication. I think you are fit to wield this miraculous."**

 **"** **Did it used to belong to you?" she asked.**

 **"** **No. It belonged to my wife, Madeleine. You remind me a lot of her with your temper and generosity," he told her. "She's been missing for a long time, but I think she would approve of you using it."**

 **"** **To help Ladybug and Chat Noir?" she asked.**

 **"** **Not exactly," he chuckled.**

 **"** **What?"**

 **"** **I want you to fight** ** _against_** **them, to get their miraculouses," he said.**

 **"** **Like Hawk Moth?" she gasped. "But why?"**

 **"** **Better to show you. Wings up!" he called.**

 **With a flash of dark purple light, he transformed into the villainous Hawk Moth, smiling in a self-satisfied manner.**

 **"** **What do you think, my dear?"**

 **"** **I** ** _think_** **that I've discovered the identity of the supervillain who has been terrorizing Paris for a year! I also think I'm going to take you down," she growled, shifting into a defensive stance.**

 **"** **You are outmatched against a miraculous wielder, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, kung fu skills aside."**

 **"** **I'm holding a miraculous, though, aren't I?" she retorted with a gleam in her eye.**

 **"** **You hardly know how to use it," he scoffed.**

 **"** **I just have to find the right phrase," she retorted, tightening her grip on the belt buckle and stepping back, putting the desk between her and the villain.**

 ** _Feathers flared_** **whispered at the back of her mind, and because she had nothing else to go on, she echoed it aloud with more confidence than she felt as she snapped it onto her belt.**

 **She didn't catch Hawk Moth grinning triumphantly.**

 **"** **Feathers flared!"**

 **A blue-green sparkle washed over her along with a tickling sensation like feathers against her skin, but black sparked in the edges of the bright light. Suddenly it was as though her brain was severed from her body. For a fleeting moment, everything was dark. Then, the shadows cleared and she blinked stars from her eyes.**

 **Marinette felt for a moment as though she should be furious about something, or frightened, but it passed quickly. She caught sight of a familiar silhouette and beamed.**

 **"** **My liege," she murmured, placing a fist over her heart and inclining her head.**

 **"** **No need to be so formal, my dear. Consider this an extension of your internship. I will train you in the ways of the miraculous, then you will go out into the field to combat the heroes, and once we have Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses, I will rise with you by my side to guide the world to peace and prosperity."**

 **"** **You want to take over the world?" she asked skeptically. Her head was beginning to clear from the fog of a moment ago.**

 **"** **The world as it is suffers under corruption and scattered leadership. With one person with its best interests at heart in charge, it will flourish and thrive."**

 **She thought for a moment, then met his eyes again. She felt a slight hesitation, but his words made an overwhelming amount of sense. "I think that you might be right. I will follow you and I would be honored to receive your training."**

 **"** **Excellent. I will have your excuses prepared, and you will join me here tomorrow, to stay in the mansion until your training is complete."**

 **"** **Yes, Hawk Moth," she agreed. Her head felt a bit fuzzy, but she trusted Monsieur Agreste. He was a good mentor to her, and he was trusting her with something important. It would be rude to turn him down, right? Right.**

 **"** **Would you like to see how you look, my dear?" he interrupted her dizzy train of thought.**

 **She brightened. She liked the design aesthetic of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and now that she'd gotten to see it up close, admired Hawk Moth's as well. Of** ** _course_** **she wanted to see what her miraculous form looked like. She nodded her head enthusiastically and let her mentor lead her over to a full length mirror. Marinette's face lit up. It was a truly spectacular sight to behold.**

 **Her suit was gorgeous. It followed a gradient of green at her extremities to indigo nearer to her core, in dark hues, with gold feather designs on the shins, as though to indicate boots, and similar markings at the wrists to mimic gloves. There was a subtle pattern of gold over her bust that looked like chest plumage. She lifted her arms and took in the gold and blue feathers that stretched between them and her sides, forming little wings that would allow her to glide. The miraculous rested on a dark blue belt around her hips. Her mask was dark blue with beak protrusion pointing down her nose and crowning feather accents along the forehead. Her hair was pinned back from her face in a bun, with a few blue and green and gold feathers in front fanned out like a peacock's tail.**

 **However, the most remarkable feature of her costume was the gorgeous blue and green tail that looked like a peacock's. Each feather was a blade, and she realized that she could detach it from the base of her spine. She did so, unfolded it, and tested its weight in her hands.**

 **"** **Your fan can be used as a shield, its edges are wickedly sharp, and it can be flared up to protect your back when you're wearing it. It also splits into two smaller fans that can be used more easily in hand to hand combat and thrown like boomerangs to return to your hand unless interrupted," Hawk Moth informed her, using his hands to guide hers into separating the two halves of the fan so that she held two usably sized weapons.**

 **They added more sections while decreasing in length before her eyes. She gave them an experimental twirl in her hands, opening and closing them with a flick of her wrists before recoupling them and attaching it to the small of her back once more. She shot him a satisfied smile.**

 **"** **I take it you like the suit, then?" he inquired smugly.**

 **"** **Very much!" she chirped. "How do I take it off?"**

 **The moment the words escaped her mouth, the light and the feathery feeling swept over her again and she stood in her street clothes once more. They had shifted from her usual capris and jacket to a more professional grey pinstripe skirt and pink blouse since she began her work study at Agreste Fashion. They were still of her own design, though.**

 **She looked down at her miraculous belt buckle and saw that it had faded to an unassuming grey. She frowned and was about to ask what was wrong with it when she looked up and noticed Monsieur Agreste had also shifted back to his civilian look and was speaking with a small, floating blue creature that looked a bit like a peacock-themed fairy.**

 **"** **Who is this?"**

 **"** **This, my dear, is Dusuu. He is a Kwami, an ancient mystical being who inhabits your miraculous. It is he who gives the buckle its power," he explained. "Introduce yourself, seeing as you two will be spending a lot of time together in the future."**

 **"** **Hello. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she greeted in a friendly manner. "It's nice to meet you!"**

 **"** **It's so nice to meet you, too!" the Kwami peeped. "Nice to meet anyone, really. I've been asleep in that thing for** ** _ages_** **."**

 **Marinette giggled at his dramatics. "Well, I'm happy that you're awake now, Dusuu."**

 **"** **You're the new holder, huh. I like the looks of you," he decided. "You've clearly got an eye for design, and if there's one thing us peacocks can appreciate, it's fashion sense," he preened, fluffing his wispy tail feathers.**

 **"** **Well, that's quite the honor. Thank you," she replied with a smile.**

 **"** **Have you picked a name yet?"**

 **"** **A name?"**

 **"** **Yes, of course! Someone as** ** _fabulous_** **as you can't allow the media to name you something as bland as 'Miss Peacock.' Sounds like a murder mystery game character," he humphed loftily.**

 **"** **Well, there is a lot of blue..." she pondered.**

 **"** **Oooh. We can work with that! Belle Blue, Cerulienne, the Cobalt Wing- no, that last one's terrible," Dusuu muttered to himself.**

 **"** **What about Azura?" Marinette suggested.**

 **"** **Perfect! A graceful name for a graceful girl," he complimented.**

 **"** **Ha! Spend a few minutes with me and you may change your mind about that," she laughed.**

 **"** **Pssh, all of the peacock miraculous holders were graceful, even if they didn't start out that way. It comes with the territory," he dismissed. "You'll come into it. Some dance lessons might help speed it along, though."**

 **"** **Excellent suggestion, Dusuu. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng can select a type of class from the community center and I will pay for the lessons," M. Agreste said.**

 **"** **Oh! Um, if you're sure," she stammered, blushing. "But please don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work out."**

 **"** **It will!" the Kwami declared confidently.**

 **"** **It is becoming late, my dear," M. Agreste interjected. "You should be getting home before your parents worry. Tell them that I've drafted you to assist with a very special project for an upcoming show, and that I will need you to stay here for a minimum of a month, if not two."**

 **"** **A month?" Marinette yelped. "I don't know that my parents will go for that."**

 **"** **They want you to have the best opportunities to pursue your dreams. They will listen to you if you make it clear that this is what you want, what is necessary to move up the ranks from intern to a paid position," he assured her. "I won't thrust you out into the cruel world unprepared. I refuse to leave you defenseless and inexperienced. This training is necessary, and you must convince them."**

 **"** **Yes, Sir," she consented, bowing her head. "I won't let you down.**

 **He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I know, my dear."**

 **He watched as she walked out of his office and grinned at the closed door once she had departed with Dusuu in her purse. He touched his miraculous under his scarf and tested the mental connection to his new apprentice. The bond of influence and empathy was strong. Perfect.**

 **"** **I know," he repeated to no one but the terrified Nooroo hiding in his inner pocket.**

 **"** **Wait, so Marinette is coming to** ** _live_** **with you?" Nino asked his best friend during lunch the next day.**

 **The two sat alone so that Alya and Marinette could have a little girls only time before she'd be largely unavailable for a month or more.**

 **"** **Yeah. My father told me this morning. He said that her bravery during the akuma attack yesterday showed him that she was tough enough to handle harder projects, so he's taking her in as a special apprentice or something," he huffed.**

 **"** **Dude. That's weird."**

 **"** **I** ** _know_** **!" Adrien cried. "He's never, ever done anything like this before. I mean, I know she's a talented designer, but..."**

 **"** **You'd think that she could just come during working hours and then go back to her house," Nino finished.**

 **"** **You would think," Adrien repeated bitterly.**

 **"** **What's with the frowny face, bro? I thought you'd be over the moon to have the love of your life in your house with you... every day... all the time..." he sing-songed with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.**

 **"** **Hanging out with Marinette more does sound like fun," he admitted with a blush, "but that's the thing. She won't have** ** _time_** **to hang out. If my father is willing to spend time with someone almost 24/7 for work, you can bet that work is what she'll be doing 24/7. And I will be barred from the sewing room so I'm not a distraction."**

 **"** **Sounds like you're jealous," Nino commented with a sympathetic smile. "The question is whether you're jealous of your father for getting to spend all that one on one time with Mari or of Mari for getting to spend all that time with your father. If I was you, I'd be the first one."**

 **"** **Both! Neither!" Adrien yelped. "I don't know," he groaned. "It's just odd, and my father** ** _never_** **risks doing anything odd because it might hurt public opinion of the family name. Something rude that makes people mad, sure. But weird? My father doesn't** ** _do_** **weird."**

 **"** **Apparently, there are times he makes exceptions," Nino remarked, looking over at the table where Marinette and Alya sat, talking and laughing.**

 **"** **It's suspicious," Adrien insisted. "I'm going to keep an eye on her."**

 **"** **Hey, you don't have to make up an excuse for your Marinette stalking around me, dude," Nino teased. "I still say that you should forget your model diet and have an excuse to swing by the bakery sometimes so you can see her. Pastries** ** _and_** **face time with your crush? Win-win."**

 **Adrien muttered a sulky "Shut up" but otherwise remained silent. He** ** _would_** **get to the bottom of this.**

 **Marinette arrived on the steps of the Agreste mansion as she had several times before, except this time she dragged a rolling suitcase behind her as well as her caddy of fashion design supplies. The door opened before she could knock to reveal a flustered Adrien.**

 **"** **Marinette! Come well! I mean, welcome!" he stuttered, brilliant smile on his face.**

 **"** **Hello, Adrien. How are you?"**

 **"** **I'm good," he replied evenly, having recovered his usual air of calm decorum. "How are you?"**

 **"** **I'm fine. Monsieur Agreste told me that you would show me up to the guest room so I can drop off my things?"**

 **"** **Of course. Right this way," he said, stepping aside with a sweeping gesture of his arm to indicate that she should come in.**

 **She giggled at his theatrics and followed him to a room that was** ** _massive_** **. The four poster bed dominated the space, but there was a large work table lit by a lamp and a vanity and an armoire, all in gleaming walnut wood. The linens were all luscious shades of deep cerulean blue and forest reminded her of her miraculous costume, and she smiled fondly. M. Agreste was so considerate.**

 **She set her suitcase on the pale leather trunk at the foot of the bed and launched herself onto the sumptuously soft mattress, sighing in pleasure as the cushiony surface cradled her every pressure point. She had a feeling that she was going to appreciate these sinfully comfortable pillows and blankets even more after a long day of training.**

 **"** **Do you like it?" Adrien inquired shyly.**

 **Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. She had almost forgotten he was there.**

 **"** **Yes. Very much. Thank you," she coughed, standing up.**

 **She straightened her skirt and smoothed the wrinkles out of her blouse.**

 **"** **I'm going to change into some work clothes, so, um, if I could have a moment?"**

 **"** **Oh! Of course. I'll... see you at dinner, then?" he suggested.**

 **"** **As long as Monsieur Agreste doesn't make me take dinner at my desk," she joked. At his flicker of a crestfallen face, she hastily added, "But I'm sure he won't. I'll ask for the break myself if I have to."**

 **That seemed to cheer him up. "Good luck with the project, Marinette."**

 **He walked out and she stripped out of her typical attire into workout clothing and then slipped on a pair of jeans and a blue cotton button-down as per her mentor's instructions. She made her way downstairs to the sewing room with which she was so familiar, and met him there. He locked the door and then led her to a secret door behind the shelves of fabric that opened into an open room with floors covered in mats and various training equipment scattered around the edges.**

 **"** **We'll start with basic physical endurance. The world will show you no mercy, so neither will I. Prepare for the most difficult workout of your life."**

 ** _Great_** **, thought Marinette, but she pulled off her disguise clothes that would conceal their true purpose from Adrien and began some simple stretches in her leggings and tank top.**

 **"** **Bring it on," she challenged with a defiant spark in her eye.**

 **That spark was flickering out by the end of the session.**

 **They broke half an hour before dinner to give her time to recover and appear presentable. She stepped out a side door to the showers and came back to the sewing room dressed in the casual outfit once more. M. Agreste was standing by the large work table with a book in his hands. The table was scattered with sketches to make it look as though they had been hard at work, some of which she had supplied at her mentor's request.**

 **She sat in the chair in front of him, ready to listen. He had told her in advance that he would be giving her a brief history of the miraculouses after some sessions, and she was looking forward to learning more about Dusuu and the belt buckle he lived in- about all of the Kwami and their objects.**

 **Speaking of Dusuu, he had spent most of the session shouting encouragement or wincing in sympathy. He brought her a water bottle at one point, proving how deceptively strong he was for his size. He now sat on her shoulder as she looked up at M. Agreste with rapt attention.**

 **"** **We'll begin with the essential background. Long ago, the seven miraculouses were created to bring balance. The pieces of jewelry were forged to harness the ancient energies of certain essences, which took the form of Kwami. The two most powerful of these were the Ladybug and Cat, with the power of creation and destruction, respectively..." he began to lecture.**

 **Marinette listened, completely spellbound, as he spun the tale of seven magical objects passed from holder to holder for thousands of years. He spoke with distaste of the Grand Guardian who was supposed to see the miraculous into the proper hands but instead hoarded them and kept them locked away. He explained the nature of the powers, how the bond between Kwami and holder strengthened the magic, how the best matches were made between Kwami and human with contrasting yet aligning traits. Marinette was fascinated, but they had to stop when the clock struck seven.**

 **They dined in pleasant near-silence, with her and Adrien doing most of the talking, seated on opposite sides of M. Agreste who had his place at the head of the table. When they had finished eating, he stood and announced that they had better get back to work. She shot an apologetic smile at the disappointed Adrien and allowed herself to be guided back to the sewing room for another brutal round of physical exertion.**

 **Adrien's eyes narrowed on his father's hand at the small of Marinette's back. Gabriel Agreste didn't** ** _do_** **casual touching for any reason. Every action was planned and deliberate. That begged the question of what, precisely, his father's plan concerning Marinette was. What was he doing?**

 **Training continued to be brutal.**

 **The days followed a pattern that she did not deviate from:**

 **Rise early, take breakfast with Adrien while M. Agreste worked in his office with Nathalie regarding scheduling and business stuff with a coffee and a slice of baguette.**

 **Go to the sewing room and actually work on designs until her mentor joined her, looked over her work to make suggestions or corrections, then led her to the secret room.**

 **Perform several kinds of physical exertion while M. Agreste barked orders until her aching muscles were granted reprieve in the form of lunch out. She typically chose to go home and eat at the bakery to see her parents and catch up with them. Sometimes she would run into her friends who decided to take lunch there as well that day. She noticed that Adrien was there more often than not, and she was glad that he was breaking his strict model diet a little to get some real food. She liked M. Agreste, but she thought he was a little too hard on his son sometimes. Adrien seemed to be looking at her whenever she glanced over.**

 **Marinette walked to the dance studio next, where she had decided to take up traditional Chinese dance, which sometimes incorporated fans. She thought it would help with her ability to use her miraculous weapon, and it was working. She felt proud of her choice and of the increase in gracefulness it seemed to be granting her.**

 **She would then return to the mansion and be thrust back into training once more, with few breaks. Marinette would be allowed to stop an hour before supper with time to cool down while she completed her schoolwork, sent over by the collège. Sometimes, her mentor would grace her with a history lesson about the miraculouses.**

 **Then she would eat a somewhat tense supper with the Agrestes while she and Adrien attempted conversation until his father shepherded her back to the training room.**

 **At the end of the day, once she was dismissed, she would finish any unfinished homework, or make at least incremental progress on the "project" that M. Agreste had supposedly brought her to the mansion to work on. Her task was to design an entire winter line that could be released by the company. Marinette wasn't sure it was good enough, but Dusuu assured her that her concepts were brilliant.**

 **Then, finally,** ** _finally_** **, she would get to trudge through the door to her beautiful guest room, change into her pajamas, and go to sleep. She had been right about the phenomenal mattress being a mercy at the end of a hard day.**

 **Training started as simple physical exercise: everything from running a high number of kilometers to weightlifting outrageous amounts that she wouldn't have dreamed of attempting before she had superpowers- and this without calling for feathers flared!**

 **But then it progressed to combat training, mostly against dummies, but sometimes against her mentor himself, who turned out to be much more formidable an opponent than he appeared upon first glance.**

 **Marinette thought she knew everything from her kung-fu instruction, but it was only the tip of an iceberg of fluid, powerful fighting styles.**

 **Then, once she had hand to hand down, she practiced using fans: the normal bladed kind before her miraculous ones. She was pretty bad at first, and almost sliced off her own hand trying to catch it by the handle and instead gripping the sharp edge. She had to laugh off her bulky bandage as a design injury using the fabric slicer when Adrien exclaimed over it at the dinner table. After she got the hang of throwing normal fans at targets and catching them without bleeding everywhere, she was graduated to lessons on using her actual powers, which took a month of brutal physical punishment.**

 **M. Agreste became Hawk Moth when he instructed her on the use of her powers. She became skilled with the bladed fans and the gliding quickly enough, and he praised her progress. Her command over her miraculous power, Oracle Eye, was giving her trouble, however. She couldn't get it to cooperate and show her what she wanted to know.**

 **It was** ** _supposed_** **to give her a look at three possible outcomes of an action, warn her of any danger in the immediate future, or show her a person that she wanted to see, but her visions seemed random and disjointed.**

 **When she wanted to see a person, it showed her three possible futures for them making some small decision like what to have for breakfast. When she wanted an advance warning of danger (Hawk Moth about to hit her with something), it showed her a random person about to be hit with something. When she wanted to look at three possible futures for an action, it showed her the next time** ** _she_** **was going to get hit with something. And so on.**

 **Marinette was becoming frustrated, but Hawk Moth urged her to be patient and let it come naturally. In the meantime, he was teaching her meditation techniques to improve her focus.**

 **So, the training was far less physical in this final stage, but she still had to keep up her physical fitness and continue the occasional combat training exercise, but now she was allowed to do it suited up. Though she missed Dusuu's constant encouragement, it was exhilarating to feel the thousands of years old power coursing through her.**

 **She slowly got a better handle on Oracle Eye, but it still gave her trouble from time to time. She and M. Agreste had almost finished the winter line, and he was impressed by her skill. She glowed whenever he praised her stitching technique or her idea for an asymmetrical hemline somewhere unexpected. It had been nearly two months, and he was nearly ready to let her go home when a new development popped up.**

 **Hawk Moth had been sending out the occasional akuma to keep up appearances, and at the eight week mark of her stay at the Agreste mansion, he sent out another one while she stood in the skylight room to watch. It was the first time that she had been permitted in this inner sanctum, and she was giddy. Her mentor was explaining the process of akumatizing someone, how he sought out negative emotions and gave these people in pain a chance for retribution at those who hurt them in exchange for assistance in his goal.**

 **Azura wasn't sure that targeting vulnerable people in pain to achieve one's own ends was entirely ethical, but his words and the reassuring, silent presence of Dusuu at the back of her mind calmed her doubts. She trusted her mentor. If he said that he was giving these people a gift in letting them feel powerful when they were at their weakest, then she believed him. Things were progressing smoothly as always, Ladybug and Chat Noir battling Hawk Moth's akumatized villain- when, suddenly, a new hero appeared on the scene.**

 **Azura's first thought was that she was gorgeous, with crimson and white-tipped hair and cappuccino-colored skin and golden eyes and curves like a biology final. She looked a lot like Volpina had, but with subtle differences. She whipped the flute from her back and suddenly the minions created by the akuma followed an image of a running Ladybug and Chat Noir while the real ones stood dumbfounded in front of the fox lady and the akuma.**

 **Hawk Moth was seething, and she could sense his rage through their connection. He only got angrier as the new heroine joined their foes in battle and helped turn the tide in favor of the two do-gooders. Once it became clear that she was going to help beat his akuma, which would cause him to lose visual, Hawk Moth commanded her to get down there and find out who this new girl was without being seen. Azura was thrilled. Her first time out in the field!**

 **"** **Yes, Sir!"**

 **She leapt from the skylight and glided over the rooftops until she landed on a low one with a good line of sight on the group of costumed vigilantes. She strained her hearing to catch their conversation and peered around the chimney as much as she dared so Hawk Moth could see what was going on when the butterfly symbol framed her face.**

 **"** **Who are you?" Ladybug barked suspiciously. Her pretty face was scrunched in a frown and she held her yo-yo at the ready.**

 **"** **Are you another akuma, like Volpina?" Chat asked.**

 **"** **Hey! I** ** _helped_** **," the fox lady protested indignantly. "And no. A mysterious Grand Guardian slipped me a box with a necklace in it and a Kwami came out and told me that I had been chosen. My miraculous is the real deal."**

 **She knew all of the right terms, and her story matched up with the Grand Guardian's MO, so Azura would have believed her even if she didn't know for certain that she wasn't one of Hawk Moth's. The two heroes exchanged a glance that seemed to say that they had come to the same conclusion.**

 **"** **Okay, I believe you," Chat said finally. "Thanks for the save."**

 **"** **You're welcome. Now for a proper introduction: My name is Vixenne, and I am here to help," she announced proudly.**

 **"** **Well, we're doing fine all by ourselves," Ladybug huffed suspiciously. "Why show up now?"**

 **"** **I don't know exactly," she admitted. "But Trixx- that's my Kwami- said that the Grand Guardian sensed a new danger was about to arrive. She couldn't be any more specific than a vague warning about a new player on the board who is on Hawk Moth's side. I'm new at this whole miraculous holder thing, but I think I feel it." She placed a hand over her miraculous in the hollow of her throat. "A dark presence."**

 **Azura held back from scoffing. Dark presence? Pfft. They might not see it, but she was on the right side here. She was a perfectly nice person. They** ** _were_** **talking about her, right?**

 **"** **Well, that's just what we need. More strength on Hawk Moth's side," Ladybug sighed. "Thank you for warning us, and thank you for coming to help. If what you feel is right, that means that we're going to need it."**

 **"** **Anything for the Lucky Duo," Vixenne dismissed shyly. She was even prettier up close. Well, close-** ** _er_** **.**

 **"** **Lucky Trio now," Chat corrected with a grin. "Welcome to the team."**

 **They shook hands and then made plans to meet for patrol in voices too quiet for her to hear. Then they split up to go their separate ways and Hawk Moth began speaking in Azura's mind.**

 **"** **This means that we will have to accelerate your training. You will be out on missions within the next two weeks. Your time has come, Azura," he intoned.**

 **Training focused almost exclusively on combat, especially multiple-opponent combat. During breaks, M. Agreste no longer told her about the rich history and legend surrounding the miraculouses, but instead taught her battle tactics and strategy. He explained what her role would be in the battle against the Lucky Trio. She was to guide and defend the akumas, attack the heroes, and get their miraculouses, especially Ladybug's. To a lesser extent, her job was damage control and recon. She was to prevent any fatalities and to attempt to figure out who the heroes were behind the mask. Marinette was excited to get out there. At last, a real mission! Her time was almost here. She felt ready, and she wasn't going to let her mentor down.**

 **Adrien was truly concerned now.**

 **His father and Marinette had said they were nearly done after two months of constant work, but then for who knew what reason, his father decided to extend her stay by two weeks. Would he keep doing that as long as he could get away with it? How long would that be?**

 **How long did it take to design a winter line? They were locked in a room together for** ** _hours_** **, only leaving for food. He said locked because he had checked, and the bolt on the door to the sewing room was definitely secured. Why did it need to be locked? What were they doing in there?**

 **He had his suspicions. He had heard the occasional grunt or yell faintly through the wood in the evening, but he didn't want to believe it. He thought, at worst, his father might look at Marinette as more than an intern, but she was too innocent to understand what his over-attentive behavior meant. The way that he looked at Marinette when she didn't notice had Adrien worried about leaving them alone together.**

 **But she seemed fine. She didn't look skittish around his father or overly cozy either. She treated him like a well-respected boss and nothing more. They always addressed each other formally as Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng and Monsieur Agreste, so perhaps he was fretting over nothing. Maybe it was all in his head.**

 **But he** ** _knew_** **he hadn't imagined the casual touches on her arms and back, or the generous praise of her skill at designing (which was so unlike Gabriel Agreste that Adrien had choked on his branzino the first time his father had told Marinette that she was brilliant at the dinner table), or the lingering gazes at his friend's face. The fond smile when he said her name or listened to her speak. Adrien had also found out that Father had paid for Marinette's dance lessons. That wasn't normal boss-intern stuff, was it?**

 **When it was time for Marinette to go home, he leaned on the stair railing and listened to his father tell her goodbye with narrowed eyes.**

 **"** **Your work on the winter line is impeccable. I'll speak to my people about finding the budget to hire you on certain commissions and give you a modest salary for your regular duties. You will also come here for two hours twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for my personal instruction at 5 o'clock sharp. Afterwards, you have a standing invitation to join us for dinner," he was saying.**

 **Adrien pressed his lips against a scowl that was fighting its way onto his face. His father almost never had dinner with him until Marinette came along. He shook off the resentment. He would get to see Marinette more often. This was a good thing.**

 **"** **Thank you, Monsieur Agreste. I would be honored," she replied with a warm smile that made his legs turn to jelly.**

 **"** **The honor is all mine, my dear," his father responded smoothly, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the knuckles.**

 **Adrien was screaming internally.**

 **"** **Oh! I almost forgot that the winter recital is coming up for my dance class. I'll save you both a ticket to it," she offered politely.**

 **"** **We wouldn't miss it," he replied, and Adrien's internal screaming reached a fever pitch.**

 **Since when did his father make time for anything that his employees did outside of work? Gabriel didn't even always make it to** ** _Adrien's_** **fencing matches and piano recitals.**

 **"** **I look forward to it," Adrien pitched in as evenly and calmly as possible.**

 **Her attention shifted to the golden-haired boy on the stairs, and when that warm smile turned on him, he almost tripped over his own feet to come and hug her goodbye. She seemed surprised at the contact, but hugged back quickly.**

 **"** **It was really good to have you here," he told her.**

 **"** **You'll be seeing a lot more of me, apparently," she reminded him.**

 **"** **Good."**

 **Her cheeks turned slightly pink a she smiled softly at him. "I think so, too."**

 **"** **Goodbye, Marinette."**

 **"** **Goodbye, Adrien. Monsieur Agreste," she said with a dip of her head.**

 **Adrien looked at his father the second the door closed behind her, and he did not like the smile on Gabriel Agreste's face.**

 **Not one bit.**


	2. Debut

**A/N: Okay, so this is the chapter that warrants the warnings. Brief sin and age gap. Mature theme of implied sexual predation from Adrien's perspective. Mild mention of blood. That's all I think you need to know to avoid spoilers. Also, this story is going to get weird and may or may not be classifiable as crackfic. IDK. Onwards and upwards!**

Chapter 2: The Debut of Azura

Marinette was watering the plants on her balcony when the purple butterfly mask flickered onto her face and her mentor spoke to her.

"My dear Azura, the time has come for your first mission. Ladybug and Chat Noir are fighting my akuma near the Louvre with Vixenne. You will provide assistance."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," she obeyed. "Feathers flared!"

The mask vanished and her costume appeared. With one leap, she glided from her balcony to the next roof, and so forth until she reached her destination.

A large woman wrapped in towering vines was directing minions with flower crowns to attack the trio of heroes, laughing as she scattered seeds over the streets and called for her children to take back the city from urban blight and restore it to a garden paradise. The Lucky Trio was winning. That wouldn't do.

Landing on the point of the glass pyramid, she struck a pose with one hand on a cocked hip and a smirk on her lips. She whistled and three heads snapped towards her.

"Need a hand?"

"Um, we're okay, but any help would be appreciated, thanks!" Chat shouted to her.

"Oh, I wasn't talking to you," she laughed. "Ivy?"

"Azura. Good to meet Hawk Moth's new right hand," the plant-based akuma sighed in relief.

"WHAT?!" all three heroes shouted at once.

Azura snapped her wings open and glided down to kick Ladybug in the chest, sending her tumbling across the street into the hands of the flower children.

"I _knew_ this was going to happen," Vixenne yelled.

"Since when can Hawk Moth make multiple akumas at once?" Chat complained.

Azura snapped her fans off her back and twirled her wrists. "Since I'm not an akuma," she purred, launching herself at the remaining members of the team.

"What?" Vixenne gasped as she fended off the flower children.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed as she slashed at Chat with violent grace. "Miraculous holders don't _have_ to be on the side of law and order, you know."

"You... work... for Hawk Moth?" Chat panted as he desperately fended off her attacks with his baton.

"Yup. It's sort of an apprenticeship. Things were looking a little overbalanced in your favor, so he brought me on to even the odds."

"How did you get so good this _fast_?" he panted.

"Unlike you, I was given the opportunity to hone my skills for months before I made my debut."

"Whoever taught you to move like this has got to be something."

"Hawk Moth is a heck of a mentor," she responded with pride, following her statement with a sweeping kick at Chat's legs.

She snatched at his miraculous while he was down, but he rolled out of the way just in time.

"I don't suppose you'd consider switching sides?" he suggested with a charming grin.

She pretended to think about it. "For you, pretty kitty? Almost. But my loyalties lie with Hawk Moth."

She threw both fans at Chat only for Vixenne to tackle him out of the way. The fans whirled past him and he grinned in triumph, thinking she had lost her weapon, but then they curved back to her and she caught them deftly in her hands.

"Oh, come on!" he groaned.

"Let's switch dance partners, Chat Noir," Vixenne suggested.

"Fine by me," Azura replied with a grin. "Come and tango with me, foxy woman," she purred with a wink.

Vixenne blanched. "Are you... _flirting_ with me?"

"You're pretty cute," she said with a shrug. "Work doesn't have to be without fun."

They fought hard, but it was clear that Azura had the advantage of training and experience. If it hadn't been for Ladybug escaping the flower children and coming to help, then Vixenne's miraculous would have been hers.

It was certainly a close call, but the heroes won that day. Ivy's flower bracelet was broken and she was returned to her human form, a petite woman with red hair and a green gardening apron. Miraculous Ladybug swarm fixed all of the streets that had been broken up by the sudden sprouting of trees.

Azura crouched by the de-evilized woman and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I... think so. I don't really know what happened. The last thing I remember is being handed an eviction notice because I couldn't pay the taxes on my flower shop," she replied.

"Which flower shop?"

"The Thistle and Thorn," she answered.

"I have a feeling that things will work out for you," Azura informed her mysteriously.

She glanced up and saw Vixenne and the police closing in, Chat and Ladybug having left the scene to the sound of rapid beeping. Aura squeezed the woman's shoulder once more before backing away and doing a parkour move on a wall to get enough height to glide away from the do-gooders. She sailed through the skylight and dropped her transformation.

She looked down at her feet and scuffed her toes against the floor, cheeks burning with shame. "I failed you, Sir."

"No, my dear. You performed admirably, especially for a first effort," he reassured her with a hand on her arm. "I hardly expected you to win on your first try."

"You aren't disappointed in me?"

"We'll get them someday, even if it takes another year, another two years- however long is necessary. We will win."

The conviction in his voice was enough to convince her.

"Sir? Um, I have a request, if it's alright."

"What is it, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?"

"The woman today, who became Ivy. She did her best to help us. She's going to lose her flower shop, and, um, I was wondering if you could maybe help her with a couple of payments so she can keep the Thistle and Thorn?" Marinette stammered hesitantly. "I mean, obviously you don't have to. I just thought it might be nice..."

He looked at her thoughtfully and she began to worry that she'd overstepped her bounds when his expression did not change, but then the smallest of smiles graced his face.

"I think that Agreste Fashions headquarters could use a little cheer," he said at last. "Perhaps I could put in an obscenely large order for flowers at a certain highly-recommended flower shop suggested by my intern and tip lavishly."

"Oh, thank you, Monsieur Agreste!" she exclaimed happily. "I really appreciate it."

"When one has wealth to spare, it would be selfish not to share it with someone who tried to help with his aspirations, especially if that person found herself in dire need of financial assistance. Besides, I could hardly refuse a heartfelt request from my only protege," he said with only the slightest trace of expression.

"I'll go home and get Duusu some grapes," she said with a knowing smile.

"Get some rest, my dear. You've earned it."

"He did _what_?" Adrien gasped.

"He sent her flowers," Alya repeated. "I swung by the bakery to grab a pastry and walk to school with Mari, and there they were. A _giant_ bouquet of delphiniums, snapdragons, white hollyhock, and geraniums. They were all different shades of pink, except the hollyhocks. They were gorgeous, and when I asked who they were from, she showed me the card."

"What did it say, _exactly_?" Adrien pressed.

"'For my protege, In gratitude for your excellent work on the winter line. Keep it up and you will go far as a designer. Fondly, G. Agreste,'" Alya quoted.

" _Fondly_?" Adrien hissed. "My father isn't _fond_ of anything. I _knew_ something was up. I knew it!"

"Adrien, chill. Her parents read the card, too, and Tom and Sabine didn't seem concerned," Alya informed him. "Marinette was smiling about it."

"They don't know my father like I do," he insisted. "I'm worried about her."

"Adrien, what, specifically, are you worried _about_? Tell me. I want to know," Alya huffed with her arms crossed.

"I'm worried that my father might have... romantic feelings for Marinette," he confessed in the quietest of whispers.

"Are you sure you're not just jealous? Either of the attention Marinette gets from your father or of the time he gets to spend with Marinette?"

"Nino said the same thing," he grumbled. "But no. I really am worried about it. The casual touches, the gifts, the personal attention and the compliments- it's just too weird to be an innocent thing. I mean, I believe pretty strongly that Marinette just thinks he's being nice and that she doesn't see it, but I'm definitely suspicious of Father's motives. I want to keep her safe, but I just don't know who I'm supposed to tell about this," he growled in frustration, raking his hands through his hair.

"Nobody," Alya snarled with conviction.

"Come again?" he snapped. "Do you _want_ anything like that to happen to your best friend?"

"First of all, Marinette can take care of herself. Second of all, you need to shut up about this because whether this is happening or not, whether it is mutual or not, a whiff of it to the wrong people could _ruin_ her. She's a rising star in your father's company, and the fashion world is gonna take notice sooner rather than later. If your _suspicions_ become a rumor and it spreads, her credibility would be destroyed. People are ruthless, especially in the fashion community and the media. They'd accuse her of sleeping her way to the top and never trust in her talent again. So here's what's going to happen," she hissed into his face, grabbing him by the lapels and yanking him so close that their noses pressed together.

"You're going to _keep quiet_ about your little theory, and if you must, gather evidence or whatever _subtly_. If you find any actual concrete proof that your dad is creeping on my best friend, I'll help you kick his butt myself. Until then, you will not raise a fuss, you will not mention this to _anyone_ , and you will be a model son and a supportive friend for Marinette. _Is that understood_?" she growled.

"Yes," he gulped. "I'll keep my investigation on the low-down."

"Good." She dropped his shirt and stepped back with a casual smile on her face. "Now let's forget about this little tiff and smile like nothing's wrong, mmkay?"

"Sure," he agreed, half fearfully, half sullenly. He understood that Alya had Mari's best interests at heart, but he was pretty sure that her priorities were in the wrong place.

Marinette would be safe if he had anything to say about it.

Other than the continuing casual touches and warm praise, nothing suspicious happened between his father and Marinette in the next couple of months.

Well, there was the time that Gabriel had made a call to her himself instead of having Nathalie do it, but that could have been because Nathalie was pretty busy that day.

That didn't mean that Adrien's worry relaxed any. He just found new things to worry about.

The new villain Azura was really good. If not for Vixenne, he was pretty sure that he and Ladybug would have been defeated by now. Even so, she was a tough opponent to beat. It didn't help that her miraculous power allowed her to see the future and looked scary as heck when she summoned it.

When Azura shouted, "Oracle Eye!" and made a gesture of crossing her arms over her chest in an X, her eyes snapped open glowing blue and her tail stood up, completely fanned out, with all of the eyes on the feathers open and staring like real, glowing eyeballs. It was pretty creepy and even though it only lasted a few seconds, it made him freeze up and shudder every time. When she snapped back into action, she seemed to be three steps ahead of the trio. Chat was concerned that she would actually win one day.

That concern shifted to be directed at Azura herself after a certain incident about four months into her new career as a supervillain.

She was defending the akumatized man who was lobbing fireballs at innocent people when suddenly the purple butterfly mask he'd seen on a dozen akumas flared over her face and the bottom dropped out of his stomach. Ladybug continued to yo-yo the fireballs out of the sky, but Vixenne stopped to gape at Azura, too.

His face went pale. " _Mon dieu_ ," he uttered in a hoarse whisper.

"What's the matter? Chat got your tongue?" she teased. The mask vanished from her face.

"You're an akuma. You've _been_ an akuma for months. God, how are you even still functioning?" he murmured.

"Not an akuma. Miraculous holder," she said slowly, pointing to herself. "We've been over this, kitten."

"That mask _can't_ be there unless you're infected," he insisted. "Have you been Azura this whole time? Where is your family? Are they worried about you vanishing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for your concern, furball, but I can change back and forth same as you. My family's fine. I'm not 'infected.' I'm not being controlled. Honestly? Even if I _didn't_ believe in Hawk Moth's vision, I'd still be here. I really need the internship credits."

Chat was speechless, so Vixenne took up the questioning with a gesture at Azura's face where the butterfly had been. "Explain _that_ , then."

"Hawk Moth can sense that people are feeling bad from miles away. Empathy is a more versatile power than you would think. Telepathic communication between him and his right hand is useful. It's basically like answering a phone call," she replied with a shrug. "We gonna keep fighting or what?"

They did, and she vanished after a quick check-in on the akuma victim. Chat stared in the direction she had glided away. Worry had taken hold in his gut and wouldn't let go. No matter what Azura claimed, that mask meant only one thing, and it meant that Azura was under Hawk Moth's control.

He brought it up on their next patrol.

"Seriously, I'm worried that she's some random innocent that he's got brainwashed."

"She doesn't act like an akuma, Chat. She doesn't terrorize people unless she's with one of them, and she doesn't have an obsession," Ladybug pointed out. "Besides, Hawk Moth has never been able to make multiple akumas at once before."

"Her miraculous is the real deal. We've seen it do the countdown- same as ours. She even said she'd had months of training before she came on the scene. Nobody could survive being infused with pure evil for half a year. You may have to face facts that even though you have a crush on her-" Vixenne began.

"Hey!" he protested.

"She may actually be one of the bad guys by choice," the fox superhero concluded. "I'm sorry, but that looks like the most likely option, here."

"Whatever. You guys may not see it, but I'm going to find a way to save her," he declared, pole vaulting away.

First Marinette, now Azura. What was it about him that made people not believe him when he thought someone was in trouble?

Now that the thought had occurred to him that she might be doing this against her will, he started to notice little things about Azura that pointed to her kindness.

The way she stayed to check on akuma victims when they often couldn't.

The way she patiently guided and advised the akuma like tutoring slow students and defended them like a mother bear.

The way she kept civilians from meeting deadly danger.

He actually asked her about that once, after she sliced a bit of falling debris in half with her fan to prevent a boy from being squashed.

"Why do you save people from being crushed but not from being zombified or having their homes wrecked?" he inquired curiously.

"Your Ladybug's Miraculous can fix most things, but it can't bring people back from the dead. The kids get a little overexcited sometimes," she explained.

He was determined now that he'd seen the good in her to do something to free her from Hawk Moth's control.

He decided that the akuma must be in her miraculous, so when they fought next, he aimed all of his blows for her belt buckle.

She laughed as he tried to whack her in the stomach with his pole. "Silly kitty, this is a miraculous, not some akumatized bauble. It's going to take a bit more than a stick to break it."

"I'm sure Cataclysm could do some damage," he said flippantly.

All the blood drained from her face. "Don't! What if you miss and hit me instead? You hero types wouldn't want that," she cried nervously.

"I'll just get it off you first."

"You can't! If you destroy a miraculous with Cataclysm, Luck Charm won't fix it! There will be no going back."

"I guess you'll just have to live without your fans of death..." he scoffed.

"You'll kill my kwami!"

He stopped moving.

She took a shuddering breath.

"If you destroy a miraculous beyond repair, you destroy the kwami, too. With no enchanted object to tether them, they scatter into nothing. A thousand years of wisdom and experience and _life_ just... gone. Duusu would be dead forever. I know you hate me. I know you think I'm the bad guy. But _please,_ for the love of God, don't hurt him. I care about him just as much as you care about that grouchy old tomcat in your ring."

In the time it took him to glance down at his miraculous, she was gone. He ran his hands through his hair aggressively. Well, there went plan A. Now how was he supposed to help? Maybe he could track down the Grand Guardian for a long overdue chat...

He left the fight, quickly won after the departure of the more formidable opponent, and went through the front door of his house. He stopped dead at the sight that greeted him.

His father stood on the landing of the grand staircase with an arm around a trembling Marinette who clutched at his suit like a lifeline.

"Marinette?" he asked.

She stepped back from Gabriel, startled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Adrien! It's good to see you. I was just..."

"Marinette was confiding in me an upsetting occurrence in the workplace, and I have promised to deal with the issue swiftly and harshly," his father supplied. "It will be alright," he assured her with a squeeze of her shoulder.

Marinette left, stopping briefly to hug Adrien tightly before she departed.

"What was that about?"

"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng witnessed a confidential event at Agreste Fashions that disturbed her, and I comforted her and assured her that I would deal with the problem," Gabriel explained.

"You seem awfully close with Marinette," he commented carefully.

"She's my best pupil by a wide margin," his father dismissed. "We spend a lot of time together for work, and I have gotten to know her fairly well. I'm impressed by her skills, and she is also a very good person. I deal with a lot of snakes in the fashion industry, so her... gentle spirit is refreshing."

"I see," Adrien said flatly. "I'm going upstairs to do homework."

He swept up the stairs without waiting for dismissal. He didn't buy that excuse for a second.

 _Marinette, are you okay?_

Marinette received a mental phone call from Hawk Moth later that evening, which she had spent pampering Duusu and keeping him curled close to her chest while she worked on designs.

 _My dear, I'm afraid we have a problem._

"Sir?"

 _My son is under the mistaken impression that we are involved in some sort of torrid affair._

" _What?_ " she yelped, then lowered her voice again. "What on earth gave Adrien that impression?"

 _He seems to think I pay far too much personal attention to you to be excused by our working relationship, which would be correct if the only thing you did for me was work at the office. The problem is that we are drawing attention, and that would be detrimental to our... extracurricular activities._

"What can I do?"

 _The fault is mostly mine, I'm afraid, for taking such pride in you._

Marinette blushed, completely flattered. "What if we _were_ in a torrid affair?"

 _What._

"I mean, the best way to deflect suspicion about something that you _are_ doing that you don't want to get caught for is to 'admit' to something worse, right? Maybe Adrien has given us the perfect excuse if anyone asks questions."

 _Brilliant, my dear. However, you need to be certain. You are aware that if word got out about our fabricated affair, your career would likely be in shambles and your reputation ruined._

"I believe in the cause," she said with conviction. "I'll sacrifice whatever it takes."

 _That is admirable, Marinette, but we should still make an effort to be more subtle and professional and hold that excuse as a backup._

"Yes, that's probably for the best. I haven't given up on my dreams of becoming a designer, after all."

 _If Adrien continues to be overly inquisitive, we'll discuss this further. Until Thursday, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng._

"Until then."

The symbol disappeared and she laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. She couldn't believe that Adrien had jumped to _that_ conclusion, of all possible explanations.

"Can you imagine it, Duusu?" she tittered. "Me and Monsieur Agreste, scandalously involved in some illicit love affair? What was Adrien thinking?"

"He was probably disappointed that you were taken," the Kwami said slyly.

"Pfft. As if. I'm a little more confident and capable now that I'm Azura, but Adrien Agreste is certainly out of my league."

"I don't think he feels that way," Duusu trilled.

"I've had a little crush on him since we met, and I've only managed to gather up the courage to form a full sentence around him without stuttering since I stayed at his house. You'd think that if he liked me, too, he would have done something once he noticed the stuttering and clumsiness in his presence," she sighed.

"Maybe he's just clueless," her Kwami suggested.

"That's not very nice," she chided. "And anyway Adrien could never be oblivious when I'm being so obvious. He's too smart."

"Being good at physics doesn't necessarily mean being good at women," Duusu pointed out.

"Maybe so, but I think I'll stick with nonsensically flirting with Chat and Vixenne," she snorted. "It's less complicated."

"Yeah, that fox girl _is_ pretty cute," he teased. "One would think you would have a poster of her hanging up somewhere. _Oh wait._ "

He flew up and pulled the secret rolled-up poster down from the ceiling. She squealed in indignation and pretended to furiously chase the naughty Kwami around the room as he zipped through the air cackling madly. She "caught" him and tickled him with a finger, making him giggle helplessly, begging for mercy. She relented and got them both ready for bed. Tomorrow, she had a mistaken impression to correct.

Adrien was startled from his reading by a hand on his book. His gaze darted up to meet gorgeous orbs of sky blue.

"Adrien," she began with a kind smile, and he shivered at the way she said his name, "we need to talk."

"Okay," he gulped, setting the book aside.

She sat down next to him and gave him another reassuring smile. "You can stop watching me like a hawk now."

"What?" he asked, blushing. So she had noticed him staring at her these past few months. "I mean, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I don't mind you looking, and your heart was in the right place, but I think you've gotten the wrong impression about your father and I."

If he thought he was blushing before, his face was completely immolated now. "Oh?" he coughed.

"Yes. You seem to believe that he and I are involved in some... sordid tryst. I would like to reassure you that this is not the case. Your father has been nothing but polite to me with no ulterior motive that I can discern. He has never once made me feel uncomfortable. And I have only flirted with some... competitive coworkers for fun. I'm fine and I know what I'm doing," she told him.

"Okay, then," he squeaked. He cleared his throat. "I'm glad you're alright. I was just... concerned."

"I promise you that nothing like that is going on between Monsieur Agreste and I."

"I believe you. But... are you sure that my father feels the same way?"

"Yes. I trust Monsieur Agreste completely. He would never do anything untoward, I'm sure," she stated with confidence.

"Good," Adrien declared. "I'm happy things are fine. Thanks for letting me know you're safe."

"You're welcome, Adrien. See you tonight for dinner, same as always?"

"Of course."

Adrien felt only slightly reassured

He had confirmed Marinette's innocence, but he still doubted his father's intentions.

Besides, things continued not to add up.

He caught her one Friday morning rummaging in his fridge wearing nothing but a sports bra and a pair of running shorts. Her sweat-slicked hair was gathered back from her face in a braid. She selected a sports drink from the shelf and plucked a glass from the right cabinet on the first try as though she knew how their kitchen was organized. She noticed him watching and dropped the glass, shattering it.

"Oh, fudge," she muttered. "Adrien, you startled me."

"What are you doing in my house at..." he checked his watch, "six-thirty in the morning?"

"Your father lets me use your gym equipment because it's cheaper than a membership to a fitness club," she explained. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah, well, I came down looking for a snack."

"Let me just clean this up and I'll be out of your way in a sec," she said, stooping to carefully gather the jagged shards with her hands.

Footsteps sounded behind them and the door to the kitchen swung open to reveal a frowning Gabriel wearing athletic clothing. Adrien almost died of shock that his father could wear anything but a suit when awake.

"Marinette, what happened? I heard a crash and..." He noticed his son. "Adrien. What are you doing here?"

"I _live_ here," he snapped. "A fact which people seem to keep forgetting."

At Marinette's hurt expression, he regretted speaking so harshly, but he wasn't about to back down.

"My dear, we have people for that," he sighed upon seeing Marinette gingerly cupping broken glass in her palms. He snapped his fingers and a maid materialized to sweep up the debris before vanishing once more.

"I apologize for breaking the glass, Monsieur."

"It's quite alright, my dear. Accidents happen. Go ahead and get cleaned up and head home. We can spar another day," he said, resting a hand on her upper back.

"Yes, Sir," she agreed, dipping her head. "See you at school, Adrien."

She ducked out of the room and Adrien turned to meet his father's eyes.

"What was that about?"

"What was what, son?"

"You and Marinette. Sparring. Since when do you know how to fight anyway? At a weirdly early hour. In secret. The casual touches. Do you think I'm blind or something?"

"Adrien, I am certain that I have no idea what you are insinuating."

"But you do. So, please, give me an excuse I can believe, Father. Or else I'm going to assume the worst," he challenged.

"Your mind goes to unseemly places," Gabriel moaned, rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He suddenly looked very tired. "Marinette reminds me of your mother."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," he pushed.

"I simply meant that I am fond of the girl. She is a truly gifted designer and a caring soul, and I see Madeleine in her. That is the only reason that you might perceive me as paying her any special attention. I miss her terribly," he confessed, "and seeing even the tiniest spark of her anywhere is enough to make me nostalgic, and perhaps overly attentive. Whatever impropriety you see, it isn't there."

Adrien swallowed a lump in his throat and looked away, tears burning in his eyes at the mention of his mother. "Yeah, well," he muttered. "Just make sure that any _impropriety_ , imaginary or not, stays away from the press. I don't want your 'nostalgia' to hurt Marinette's career."

"I assure you that I want Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng to succeed as much as you do."

"Sure. I'm going back to bed," he huffed.

That situation had been the weirdest, especially since his father had called her Marinette instead of using her last name. But there had been others.

Marinette had come into school with a familiar set of earrings on, black pearl ovals with silver inlaid "M's," and he had asked her in a strained voice where she got them.

"Your father gave them to me for my victory in that recent design competition. Why?"

"No reason. They're pretty," he commented with a paper thin smile.

Those earrings had belonged to his mother, and if his father was giving them to Marinette, that was worrisome.

The constant reference to her as "my dear" also troubled Adrien.

An akuma had attacked Agreste Fashion for something Gabriel had done, and Adrien and Marinette had both been present for work reasons.

Chat burst into the fight after Adrien managed to slip away, and Marinette had clenched her fists and looked ready to leap into the fray, but Gabriel stopped her with a gentle tap on her arm. She froze immediately and retracted to his side, where he put a possessive hand on he shoulder and murmured into her ear, "Remember what I taught you."

He was glad that his father had kept her out of danger, but the comment made no sense to him, and neither did Marinette's immediate resistance-free obedience. She was usually about twelve times as stubborn.

Azura had not shown up to that fight.

Azura had been a source of growing concern for Chat, because he was seeing more and more that she definitely wasn't evil, despite who she worked for.

She showed an almost fanatical devotion to Hawk Moth, but it wasn't until an incident with a bit of friendly fire that the team realized how much Azura meant to him.

Shooting Star had a lot of throwing stars, and her enthusiasm for throwing them exceeded her skill, unfortunately. Azura got clipped by one shielding a group of civilians with her fan. Bright blood spurted from her upper arm and she hissed in pain, clutching at the wound. The butterfly symbol flared so bright on Shooting Star that it hurt Chat's eyes to look. Then suddenly the akuma herself was screaming.

Her eyes bulged in fear and she clutched at her head, writhing in agony as she keened to the sky, gold glitter from her outfit falling off and losing its luster like dead leaves. Black veins pressed to the surface of her skin and liquid gold tears leaked from her eyes and still she screamed.

"No!" cried Azura, limping over, clutching her arm. "Please, stop! It was an accident, Sir, just an accident. She didn't mean to. Please, you have to stop, you're _killing_ her!"

She got right up in the akuma's anguished face and grabbed it between her hands, the left one leaving streaks of her blood on Shooting Star's cheek. Azura stared deep into her eyes, straight through to the other side of the butterfly symbol to Hawk Moth.

"Let her go," she pleaded. "She didn't mean any harm. I'll be alright with a couple of stitches. I'm fine. Please, you have to stop."

The butterfly symbol disappeared and the akuma went limp, collapsing into Azura's arms. Azura snatched her golden star circlet and snapped it in half with one hand, releasing the black butterfly. Ladybug scrambled to catch it and Azura cradled the trembling blonde girl in her lap and crooned soothingly at her.

"Hello, there," she greeted softly. "My name is Azura. I know you're scared and hurting and confused right now, but Ladybug will fix it and everything will be alright. You're going to be fine."

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she murmured.

Azura blinked in surprise. "Shh, shh. It's fine, love. Don't worry about me."

Vixenne was staring at the scene before her in shock and awe. Chat realized that this was the moment when she finally believed him about Azura's sweet spirit. She hadn't been paying as close attention as he had, so she hadn't noticed before now.

The Ladybug Swarm swept around and fixed everything: all the gold throwing stars vanished and the girl in Azura's arms stopped shaking and relaxed. Yet the swarm seemed to go around Azura herself, parting before her body and reconvening on the other side. Azura stepped back and tenderly laid the former Shooting Star down before shakily gliding off. Her arm was still dripping blood.

The Lucky Trio made plans to discuss this latest development at the Eiffel later that night.

They met precisely on time and Ladybug cleared her throat before handing the floor to Chat.

"You saw it before either of us, so I'm going to let you take point on this."

"Okay, so we know that she gets the butterfly symbol on her face, and that she works for Hawk Moth, but that the second thing doesn't really align with her personality and the kindness that she's shown, especially for akuma victims that Hawk Moth treats as expendable. My theory is that she's only partially akumatized, specifically the mind-twisting, brainwashy part that makes them listen to that crazy dude," Chat started.

"So, like, her miraculous protected her from having all of the effects?" Vixenne asked.

"Exactly like that," Chat affirmed. "I think it's her miraculous itself that's infected."

"How does that work?" Ladybug grumbled.

"I don't know, but it would explain the dark energy I felt. The peacock and the fox are usually partners. We have a connection, but it's like it's frayed? And there's a taint," Vixenne chimed in.

"I'll ask Master Fu if anything like this has happened before," Ladybug suggested. "Then we can meet back here to plan out how to free this poor girl from Hawk Moth's influence."

"Adrien already knows that something is going on. We need to give him something before he starts jumping to alternative conclusions," Monsieur Agreste told Marinette when she attended the mental summons to his office.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Adrien is going to come through that door in about fifteen minutes to 'confront' me, according to Nathalie. When he does, we need to be in a... compromising position that will 'confirm' all of his suspicions so he stops digging," he sighed. "I am truly sorry to do this to you, Marinette, but there is no other way to get my son to leave this alone. I promise you, though, that this will in no way affect your reputation with anyone else, especially important people in our line of work."

"Anything for the cause," she replied with a shrug. "I'll convince him that I'm perfectly happy in our 'relationship' after he 'catches' us red-handed. Exactly how compromising are we talking, here?"

"Only so far as you are comfortable with, my dear," he coughed, face reddening slightly.

"Well, I don't do anything halfway," Marinette announced in a determined voice, hands going to her collar to unbutton her blouse.

She ignored his throat clearing at the third button and went all the way until her top was only loosely hanging from her shoulders. "So, we time this so that we say some incriminating things or make some convincing noises just as he's coming down the hallway, and by the time he's at the door, we will be in position. I'm thinking me on the desk with one leg around your waist and my skirt hiked up a bit. I'll have my arms around your neck and you can put one hand on my cheek and one hand on my thigh. That's convincing without being _too_ intense, I think."

She raked her eyes over him critically and mused, "We should probably also ditch the tie and undo a couple of your buttons. Untuck your shirt at the very least."

At his scandalized expression, she laughed out loud. "Well, if you want him convinced, we're _both_ going to have to look happily disheveled. Also, no tongue with the kissing, but it doesn't have to be on the mouth. Neck would actually be a bit sexier," she said calculatingly, clearly feeling no shame and treating this like any other mission.

Gabriel Agreste, on the other hand, was red as a tomato and clearly rethinking how far he was willing to take this.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Don't back out on me now when you've already seen my bra, Sir. I can do the kissing if you'd be more comfortable."

"No," he croaked. "You're not doing this alone. Like you said, we have to be convincing."

"Perfect," she replied with a grin.

Just then, they heard the front door opening and the urgent thwacking of sneakered footsteps.

"That's him! Quick!" she hissed, dragging him over to the desk.

She hopped up on it with ease, displacing a few papers and office supplies. She dragged him closer by the hips with her left leg and curled the other one behind his leg. She settled her hands at the nape of his neck, dragging fingers through it to muss it a bit, and he copied her by doing the same to her hair before putting his hands in the agreed-upon positions. Marinette started breathing heavily and making little gasping moans and suggested with her eyes that he follow suit.

As the footsteps drew closer down the corridor, they were getting into a convincing breathing rhythm and Marinette pressed her lips on Gabriel's just as the door opened. They pretended not to hear the sound they had been listening so hard for and didn't break apart at Adrien's startled gasp. Marinette arched her neck back to give Gabriel access to her throat, which he kissed. She sighed and opened her eyes, feigning shock when they landed on Adrien.

"A-Adrien," she stuttered breathlessly, pulling back from Gabriel and yanking the front of her blouse shut with an embarrassed half smile that was mostly panic.

Gabriel was impressed with her acting. He just schooled his features into his current emotions of annoyed and vaguely uncomfortable as he faced Adrien. "Son."

"What- what's going on here?" he croaked quietly.

"Well, um... we were just," Marinette stammered.

"I should think that would be rather obvious," Gabriel scoffed, cutting her off.

Marinette blushed deeply and he gazed at her in wonderment. She could do that on command? She was a far better liar than he would have given her credit for.

"But you told me- you _both_ told me that nothing was going on. You lied, to my face!" Adrien cried angrily.

"It is hardly any of your business who I choose to have romantic relations with, Adrien," his father huffed.

"It is when she's my classmate, my friend, and a _minor_ , Father," he hissed. "How... how long?" he asked brokenly.

"Since the Simon Says attack," she answered quietly. "He called me into his office and he told me how brave I was and he just had this look in his eyes... I couldn't help myself. I thought I was going to get fired."

"But instead she found that I had fallen quite hard as well," Gabriel said fondly, grasping her hand. He was again impressed by how thoroughly that his apprentice had thought this cover story through. He was almost convinced that her fable was the true version of what happened.

"Please tell me that _this_ ," Adrien growled, waving a hand between the two of them, "wasn't the real reason behind your extended stay at the mansion for the 'winter line' and why the door to the sewing room was locked."

His father remained stone-faced, but Marinette's guilty expression said it all. He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, my God. This isn't happening." He stayed that way for a long moment while Marinette buttoned up her blouse.

"Son, I trust that you understand that this is something you must keep to yourself," he said at last.

"Like heck."

"Now you listen here, young man," he growled.

"Gabriel," Marinette cautioned with a hand on his arm. "Adrien, we thought that we were being discreet. Nobody but you has noticed anything. You are the only person who knows for certain about us. I'm begging you to keep quiet."

"Why should I? This is _illegal_ , and, so much offense intended, you could do way better than him," he snapped.

Gabriel Agreste's face darkened. It was clear that he was about to rise and deliver a harsh and swift punishment for back talk, but Marinette squeezed his arm again and when he looked at her, she shook her head urgently. He relaxed, face still stormy, but he remained silent.

"Please don't antagonize him," she sighed. "But Adrien, you really can't tell anyone."

"Why not?" he challenged.

"It would be the end of my career, for one," she said. "I'm sure I don't need to explain to you how one scandal can take down a model or designer for good. It would devastate my friends and family. Nobody understands that love has no age limit. Your father could lose the company, could go to jail. No matter how mad you are at him, you can't want that. His reputation and mine would be ruined. I would get called a slut and worse in the halls and on the streets. Female employees would be permanently nervous around Gabriel for reasons other than his intimidating demeanor. If people found out, it could wreck everything."

"Then why do it in the first place?"

"You don't plan who you fall in love with," she said with a sad smile. "It's not just sex. We really care about each other, too much to give it up."

"Jesus, Mari," he growled, running his hands through his hair.

"Maybe we should talk alone. You and your father can work things out later," she sighed, moving for the door to the office while sweeping her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and smoothing her skirt.

He followed, glaring daggers at his father. She led him to the guest room where she'd stayed before and sat down on the bed. He sat a few feet away.

"I'm sorry I lied," she said quietly.

"Not sorry you got involved with him in the first place?" he sneered.

"No," she answered simply. "I don't regret a moment I've spent with Gabriel Agreste. But I do regret lying to you about it when you saw right through us. We thought that the deception was necessary. We knew how people would react."

"Like I did," he realized. "Freaking out like there's no tomorrow."

"Yes."

"I'm not gonna lie. I don't approve in the slightest, but it looks like neither of you cares about that. My question is: Are you happy?" he asked.

"As happy as I've ever been in my entire life," she replied. "He makes me happy."

He heaved a sigh and put his head between his knees. "I hate this. I hate this so much, but I care about you a lot, so if it makes you happy, then I will try- _try_ \- to be more chill about it. And I promise not to tell a soul. Alya would kill all three of us, or at least me and my father, anyhow."

She laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Adrien."

"You're welcome," he groaned. "Ugh. I need to go lay down. After I wash my eyes out with soap."

"Sorry you had to find out this way," she apologized.

He waved her off. "Please, let's never speak of this again."

She chuckled at his departure and his heart gave a pang at the bell-like sound. It was so beautiful, just like her. Yet she was, for lack of a better word, dating his father.

Adrien was traumatized enough by the confirmation that Hawk Moth has his claws in Azura, but the universe wasn't done laughing at him yet, apparently.

He flopped down on his bed and stared angrily at the ceiling.

"I don't get it, Plagg. Why him? Of all people in Paris, why _him_?"

"Who knows, kid?" he scoffed. "LIke I'm the one to ask about human relationships. As someone who is thousands of years old, I can't really comment on the age difference thing."

"Ugh. It's not even _that_ so much as it is that she's so amazing and he's so... well, you know how he is."

"I'm not sure I do. He's not really around enough for me to get a read on that guy," he commented.

"That's the point," Adrien grumbled. "How is this my life? One girl I sorta like is under Hawk Moth's control and may or may not be ethically classifiable as evil. The girl I've been half in love with for ages is... screwing my own father. And to top it all off, that father kinda sucks sometimes and makes me go to a thousand extra curricular activities that frequently get in the way of being a superhero."

"And here I thought people who are stupid rich were supposed to have it easy," Plagg snarked dryly.

"Shut up. I'm not asking for easy, even. Just less complicated. And for Marinette to not be in a relationship with Father."

"Jealous, much?"

"Yes, obviously!" he huffed. "What does she even see in him?"

"At least _you_ got to see her bra," Plagg trilled suggestively. "That cute little black number with the pink lace and bows..."

"Shut up," he grumbled again. "I'm still trying to erase that image seared into my brain. The two of them... _making out_. It's bad enough that my brain conjured up that image of them on top of the work table in the sewing room thanks to the suspicious noises. Now I have even more nightmare fuel."

"Cheer up, kid. Maybe they'll hit a snag and break up before she becomes your stepmom."

Adrien smothered himself with a pillow and screamed into it to banish _that_ image from his head, too.

"I think we convinced him," Marinette said after she left her chat with Adrien.

"You nearly convinced _me_. Well done, my dear."

"Thank you," she said, beaming at the praise. "But now that he knows our 'secret,' we'll have to keep up the act."

"I think continuing to do what we were doing and tossing out a few first name addresses and casual touches will sell it, after the show we put on. I do hope I haven't scarred my son for life," he joked.

"Well, Gabe, darling," she purred playfully. "I think he'll make a full recovery as long as we don't tie the knot once I'm of age. Besides, we can come clean once the world is yours."

"Yet more motivation to victory. Soon, my dear. Very soon," he promised, picking her up and spinning her around, surprising a laugh out of her.

"Ugh. Nevermind. Going back upstairs," Adrien grumbled from his place on the landing, and she realized that the twirl had been for show. His footsteps thudded up the staircase.

"Good cover, Sir," she whispered.

"Thank you," he accepted with a smile. "We will defeat the lucky trio and you will be free of our imaginary relationship soon enough."

"Aww. I was looking forward to designing the wedding dress," Duusu pretended to pout.

They both laughed at him, enjoying the light-hearted moment of their team and believing wholeheartedly that victory would soon be at hand.

Luckily for everyone, it was not.


	3. Downfall

A/N: This is the chapter when you find out Ladybug's identity! Woo! Sorry if it seems OOC, but I didn't want to make up a new character to be Ladybug because I wanted her to be a known classmate. No specific warnings, but be aware that this chapter gets intense in the home stretch. I have no self-control spacing out these updates, but I really like this crazy little fic, even if I feel kinda bad for making Hawk Moth even crazier than he already is. Poor Gabey-baby. Anyhow, I've forgotten these disclaimers for the last two chapters, but I own nothing regarding ML. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 3: The Downfall

The Lucky Trio did reconvene after Ladybug spoke to the Grand Guardian, and she did not have good news.

"The Grand Guardian says that this has only happened once or twice before: a particular miraculous holder becoming beholden to a butterfly miraculous holder," she began. "The fact that the Miraculous Ladybug Swarm didn't help her confirmed that she has a separate akuma's magic affecting her. Apparently, Hawk Moth infected the miraculous with an akuma that activated the first time this poor girl put it on and transformed. Basically, it works just like Chat said- she is under his influence, but still has some will of her own, and isn't transformed into an akuma as we know them. Master Fu isn't certain how deep Hawk Moth's influence over her goes, but he confirmed that it could be enough that Azura is completely innocent in this."

"How do we free her?" Chat asked tiredly, scrubbing his face with his hands. He was still reeling from the revelation of two days ago.

"Only the person wielding the butterfly miraculous can make the akuma leave her miraculous without harming the Kwami. So we either convince Hawk Moth to let her go or we get his miraculous and one of us uses it to free her," Ladybug explained.

"We couldn't just take her miraculous off of her?" Vixenne asked.

"No. It won't _come_ off while it's infected," Ladybug sighed, shaking her head. "So how are we doing this?"

"We know that Azura matters to Hawk Moth," Vixenne contributed. "Controlled or not, he cares about her. We saw that when he punished Shooting Star for hitting her by accident."

"So we capture her and use her as bait," Chat said flatly. "We threaten to have her arrested if he doesn't come and surrender his miraculous."

"We may actually win this for good," Vixenne breathed, bouncing on her toes eagerly. "No more akumas."

"Two birds with one stone," Ladybug confirmed, grinning with a gleam in her eye. She looked at Chat, who was staring into the distance with a contemplative frown. "What's wrong, kitty? You don't look like you're happy about this."

He looked like she startled him and shot her a half-hearted apologetic smile. "Oh, that's not it," he assured her. "I'm still kind of shell-shocked from a secret I found out a couple days ago. I can't stop thinking about it even though I never want to think about it again."

"What is it?" Vixenne asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Right. Secret. Sorry. Didn't mean to be nosy," she apologized.

"No, it's fine. I actually really need to tell someone. As long as I don't share names, it should be fine," he sighed. His eyes took on a haunted quality and he announced hollowly, "One of my best friends- who I have had a crush on for forever- is... banging my dad."

Ladybug and Vixenne were silent for a moment and then started screaming.

"What?" Ladybug screeched. "Oh, mon dieu, kitty, that's awful."

"Why does this keep happening?" Vixenne moaned. "Wait." She squinted at Chat and her eyes blew wide. "Oh, crap. _Adrien?_ "

"How did you-?" he squawked, then he peered at Vixenne. "Wait. _Alya_? Is that you?"

"Hold the phone," Ladybug barked. She looked back and forth between Adrien and Alya for a moment and then smacked her forehead. "Of _course_ it's you two. How did I not see it before?"

"You know us?" they chorused.

"Spots off," she said by way of answer, and Juleka stood before them.

"Oh, wow," Adrien breathed. "Claws in!"

"Fur flat!" Alya called. "I should have seen it. Red streaks in your hair instead of purple streaks, same collar, same eyes, the Converse. I've also never met another girl our age as tall as you."

"And the model over here only has different hair and green sclera," Juleka scoffed.

"And Alya's hair only got white tips and her glasses are gone," Adrien commented. "Are we all really this oblivious?"

"Apparently. What if Azura is one of our classmates, too?" Alya asked.

"Judging by the current company, it seems statistically likely," Juleka remarked.

"Wait. Adrien, you _confirmed_ that Marinette was in a relationship with your dad and you didn't _tell_ me?" Alya screeched. "Oh, I am gonna kick his-"

"She begged me not to!" he yelped. "Apparently, they're-" he swallowed bile, "in _love_."

" _What._ " Alya was fuming, and looked ready to kill someone.

"Yeah. I'm as shocked and appalled as you are. After the thing with Simon Says, he called her to his office to tell her she was brave and she kissed him. She started it," he choked out.

"How did you find out? Nino told me they denied it," she said.

"I _saw_ them. I stormed into my father's office, determined to confront him about his intentions towards Marinette, and she was on his desk, with her legs wrapped around him and her blouse undone and they were- making out," he hissed. "Ugh. I can't wipe the image from my brain."

Alya looked like she was going to be sick. Juleka had gone paler and leaned on one of the metal poles for support. Adrien was feeling a little green himself.

Alya took several breaths to calm down and then asked in a low voice, "But she's happy?"

"She said that she was," he confirmed. "And she asked me not to tell a soul, or I _swear_ , Alya, you would have been the first person I went to."

"This is illegal. This is at least three kinds of unprofessional and wrong," Juleka squeaked.

"I know that," Adrien moaned. "Now that I know, it's like they think it's fine to be all lovey-dovey in front of me. I couldn't eat dinner on Tuesday because they spent the whole time calling each other by first names and holding hands. He kissed her on the lips before she left. I'm worried about her, but we have a mission. We can stage an intervention for Marinette after we stop Hawk Moth."

"Sounds like a plan," Alya growled. Juleka nodded her agreement.

The Kwami had been having a little gathering off to the side, reuniting and speaking some ancient language to each other. Tikki and Plagg clung to each other tightly while Trixx did a couple of backflips and updated them as she gestured wildly.

Now, they each floated over to their three Chosen and helped plan the final takedown of Hawk Moth.

Vixenne thought that the akuma fight was going as well as it always did, and the three heroes did their best to act normally.

Vixenne rolled her eyes and bantered back when Azura flirted.

Ladybug made minimal contact with her and focused on the akuma.

Chat went back and forth to give assistance where needed.

It was all business as usual.

And then they flipped it all around.

Vixenne used her big attack for the first time. The Grand Guardian had revealed it to Ladybug when they talked, and she was a little mad that Trixx had failed to mention it before now, but she was glad she had it, as it was an integral part of the plan.

"Spirit Song!" she yelled, flipping her flute around once before blasting a shrill, loud note at Azura.

The blast of orange light thwacked into her chest and her eyes glowed a faint orange as her confusion melted into complacency.

Ladybug and Chat held down the akuma and demanded to speak to Hawk Moth. The butterfly symbol lit up and when the akuma's eyes landed on Vixenne holding Azura captive, a look of anger came over his face. Hawk Moth was clearly in control now.

"What have you done to my apprentice?" a deep garbled voice growled from the akuma's throat.

"We just made her a little more agreeable for a while," Vixenne called from her position. "Say hello to Hawk Daddy," she purred.

"Hello," Azura said robotically.

The akuma snarled and Chat scoffed at him. "It's no worse than what you've done to her. The deal is this. Come to the Louvre. Surrender your miraculous, and we release her to you."

The akuma sneered at them, but another glance at the helpless Azura seemed to soften him. "And if I don't?" he rumbled stubbornly.

"Then we have her arrested," Ladybug answered. "Aiding and abetting a dangerous domestic terrorist? The police have no idea that you're controlling her, so a guilty verdict won't be hard to come by."

"Fine," he snapped bitterly. "I will be there in ten minutes."

The butterfly symbol vanished and Ladybug purified the akuma. Vixenne ducked into an alley to recharge and they met up at the Louvre, Azura tied up with Ladybug's yoyo and starting to come to.

"Where am I? What happened? Is Blaze okay?"

"You're at the Louvre. You've been captured. And the akuma victim is fine. We purified him and sent him home," Ladybug answered her.

"Why are you keeping me captive? You've never done this before," she said cautiously.

"Well, we finally figured out how Hawk Moth was controlling you, and we're going to free you. He's on his way to trade his miraculous for you," Chat informed her.

"Ha! You're all fools," she laughed. "He's not going to come for me. I'm not worth risking the cause for. He'll find a new right hand before he gives up on his great vision."

"You're hardly so easily replaced, my dear," a smooth voice declared from across the courtyard.

The three heroes readjusted their grips on their weapons as they saw hawk Moth in the flesh for the first time. He was dressed snappily in a dark purple suit with a full cowl face mask. His grey eyes were focused entirely on the girl kneeling on the ground.

Her eyes lit up even as her face fell. "Sir! You shouldn't be here. I'm not worth jeopardizing the mission," she insisted.

"I'm afraid that I must disagree with you there," he sighed. "You are precious."

Her face flamed and she bowed her head. "I failed you. I got captured and put everything at risk. I'm so sorry," she apologized with tears in her eyes.

"Do not apologize," he ordered. "I'm the one who owes you an apology."

"For what, Sir?"

"This," he sighed, clenching his fist and muttering, "Dark wings rise."

"What the heck is that supposed to do?" Vixenne huffed, but then she caught sight of Azura.

Her suit darkened to a deep indigo and her accents shifted from green and gold to black and red. Her mask expanded to cover her whole face aside from her eyes, which shifted in color to a glowing lavender. She was shaking and keening softly.

"What did you do?" Chat roared at him.

"What I had to," he responded grimly.

Azura moaned and hunched in on herself while the heroes checked on her solicitously. Then she suddenly stiffened and collapsed completely. She convulsed twice and then violently ripped free of Ladybug's yoyo. She flipped onto her feet and her eyes had a deadly gleam in them.

Azura's head felt funny. It always felt a little fuzzy, more so if she even briefly considered disobeying or doubting her liege. It was like walking around in a fog that only lifted a bit when she was doing what Hawk Moth wanted. But now, the fog had turned impenetrable. Her mind was shrouded in shadows. She had felt her skin catch fire for a moment, but now all she felt was numb. She couldn't think. Her only coherent thought was "Protect the master." The faces of the Lucky Trio were hazy and indistinct. She saw not the pesky do-gooders she fought and flirted with, but targets to eliminate to keep her boss safe.

She was nothing.

She was everything crammed into a too-small space.

She was a weapon.

 _Must. Defend._

"Azura?"

"She can't hear you," Hawk Moth supplied. "I didn't want to resort to this betrayal of her trust, but in an emergency, I can flip my protege into a feral 'attack dog' state. I should warn you that she won't hold back like this."

Silently, Azura launched herself at the heroes, fans out. She slashed with vicious efficiency and was especially hard on anyone who attempted to come closer to Hawk Moth. She pulled no punches and actually made a slice at Ladybug's jugular with a fan that she only barely dodged. When Vixenne got a cut on her stomach- shallow, but still bleeding- Chat called for them to fall back.

Hawk Moth smirked and whispered, "Dark wings fall."

All of the darkness and rage seemed to bleed out of Azura and she looked like her old self again. She glanced around, looking confused and swaying woozily. Hawk Moth opened his arms with a smile and she stumbled into them, collapsing against his chest with a happy sigh. He stroked her hair with one hand and wrapped the other arm around her waist. She cuddled up against him and butted her head up against his chin when he leaned down to murmur something in her ear. She made contented cooing noises as he held her close.

Chat curled his lip in disgust. "Have you brainwashed her into screwing you as well?"

Azura didn't give any sign that she'd heard him, slumping tiredly into Hawk Moth's chest. Hawk Moth only grinned. "I could, certainly," he chuckled, "but I have not, and would not. It would seem that Azura is simply feeling a little affectionate. A side effect of being quite drained of energy."

At the disbelieving stares of the Lucky Trio, he conceded, "Perhaps I have influenced her a _bit_ into being more openly adoring, but she is a naturally... cuddly person. She has always been a hugger."

"You're the worst," Vixenne snarled, still clutching her stomach wound while Chat held her back.

"That's not what Azura thinks," he reminded them smugly as she rubbed her face on his lapels.

"Only because you've got a leash on her mind!" Ladybug protested.

"Perhaps. But the fact remains that she is _mine_. Attempt to take her again and I will not be so forgiving," he intoned.

He swept Azura up bridal style and a swarm of butterflies swirled around them. When they cleared, the two were gone.

Vixenne let fly a series of colorful curses. Chat only held his tongue thanks to years of ingrained politeness training. Ladybug was frowning, but at the spot where Hawk Moth had been rather than Vixenne's language. She called up a random lucky charm to heal Vixenne and the heroes reconvened after she recharged.

"Well, what now?" she sighed.

"We can't just leave her where she is. You heard Hawk Moth. He could make her do anything. Prized soldier or not, she could very well be in danger," Chat pointed out. "We try again. We come up with countermeasures for that feral mode. We don't give up on a fellow miraculous holder in need."

"I agree," Vixenne concurred. "We have to save her, whether she knows she needs it or not."

"Then we come up with a better, more comprehensive plan. We hit hard and fast and we set Azura free," Ladybug declared. "Let's do this."

They did try again, with restraints that didn't rely on Ladybug so that she was free to punch Hawk Moth in the face when he wasn't expecting it while Vixenne's illusion Ladybug pretended to hold Azura. It caught him off guard, because he was expecting them to try the exact same thing again even though it failed last time. Because he saw them as children, he underestimated them, and that was his downfall.

They ripped off his miraculous while he was down and Chat pinned it to his jacket over his heart.

A flash of dark purple light washed over Hawk Moth and he became Gabriel Agreste.

It hit Adrien like a truck, and the others, knowing who he was to Chat, didn't fare much better.

"Monsieur Agreste?" Ladybug gasped.

With a quick roll and a sweeping kick at Ladybug's legs, he was on his feet and running, except he was running for Azura instead of away. Vixenne tried to stop him, but was batted aside like a meaningless nuisance. He flung her over his shoulder and continued sprinting away.

They cried out and tried to follow him, but he escaped to the metro tunnels and was gone.

It was Ladybug this time who let loose a curse, and Vixenne raised her eyebrows in surprise, vaguely impressed.

"I know that it sucks that he got away, but at least we know where he lives. That has to be where he's going," Chat growled through gritted teeth.

Ladybug looked at her partner in concern. "Chat, are you-"

"I'll have an emotional breakdown later. You can join in if you want," he offered. "This makes his thing with Marinette about twelve times worse."

"Oh, Jesus, I didn't even think of that," Vixenne groaned. "Well, this is going to make staging an intervention a lot easier."

"So we hope," Ladybug said grimly. "Right now, we have to catch Gabriel Agreste and save Azura."

"Chat, can you use the butterfly miraculous to get her to come to us, or at least help her escape?" Vixenne suggested.

"I'll try," he confirmed.

They slipped into a secluded area and he detransformed from Chat Noir and the skittish little Kwami called Nooroo supplied the words to transform into Hawk Moth.

"Wings up!"

With a flash of dark purple light, Adrien became Hawk Moth, but different. He had a normal domino mask instead of the cowl, and he had a short cape that looked like folded butterfly wings. His color scheme was considerably lighter as well. It was still a formal suit rather than a superhero suit, but it was more like a blazer and slacks combo than a full three-piece like the real Hawk Moth. He had the cane, though, which was enough like his staff that it felt comfortable in his hand.

"Whoa, that's weird," he commented. "It's like I can feel everyone's emotions. But... there's... one... that is a little... bit... stronger."

Adrien focused in on it and he felt a drowsy confusion emanating from someone. He focused harder and he realized that it was Azura. He could sense how she was feeling as well as physical sensations. Her wrists ached from the cuffs, but fingers were working on freeing her wrists. A voice was telling her that it would be alright soon and that he wouldn't let the Lucky Trio take her away.

He focused solely on Azura, blocking out all other emotional noise. He closed his eyes. Suddenly, he could see the world through her eyes. She was surrounded by workout equipment. Her Kwami floated near her, obviously worried. So she was detransformed, then. Her wrists suddenly popped free of the cuffs and the ache subsided.

Gabriel Agreste suddenly appeared in her field of vision. He scowled and leaned closer, his face lit by a pale purple glow. Oh, so the butterfly symbol was around her face, and his father could see it.

"I will say this only once, Chat Noir. You've already won. You have my miraculous and the reign of the akuma is over. Just leave us alone. Let me have this one thing," he snarled.

"She's not a thing, she's a person," he heard Azura's voice say along with his. "And we're going to rescue her from you, Monsieur Agreste."

"Not without a fight," he huffed, striding from whatever room he had her in. Azura did not turn her head, so Adrien couldn't see where she was, but he heard a lock click.

"Azura," he addressed the girl directly.

 _Sir?_ she asked timidly. The sound echoed in his head. _You sound... different. I just saw you leave the room. Why didn't you just talk to me while you were here? Why could I feel you in my head while you were right in front of me?_

"Gabriel Agreste is no longer Hawk Moth," he explained. "This is Chat Noir. I have his miraculous and I'm using it to talk to you. Can you get out of the room you're in and come to us?"

 _No. My- Gabriel has changed the location of the secret lock. I cannot leave. I'm so confused,_ she confessed. _I must be loyal to Hawk Moth, who is Gabriel Agreste, but you are not him. I still feel like I am supposed to obey Gabriel, but also you, but you want different things. Oh, my head hurts._

He felt it, a throbbing pain like her skull was about to split in half.

"You don't have to listen to Gabriel anymore, and once we get the akuma out of your miraculous, you won't have to obey anyone anymore. I promise, we're going to free you," he swore.

 _Free? I have... forgotten how that feels. What will I do without a master to serve?_

"I'm sure it will come to you once you're safe. You'll get to do whatever you want."

 _But I want to serve you, Hawk Moth,_ she insisted, sounding vulnerable and childlike.

"Okay. Then you can do that for now," he sighed. "If you want to do what I want, then I want you to escape and come to me."

 _But Gabriel told me to stay put._

"Well, Gabriel kidnapped you." At her wave of indecision and conflicting desires, he pinched the bridge of his nose and allowed, "Okay. Then stay where you are and wait for us to come get you. Are you in the Agreste Mansion?"

 _Yes._

"Then make sure that you don't go anywhere else and wait for us to come collect you. When we get there, you leave with us no matter what Gabriel tells you, okay?"

 _As you wish, Sir._

"You don't have to call me Sir. Chat will do," he told her gently.

 _As you wish, Chat._

He broke the connection and came back to the present, with Vixenne and Ladybug staring at him.

"What?"

"It was just weird to see the butterfly thing on your face and hear half of a conversation. You were talking to Azura, right?" Ladybug confirmed.

"Yes. She seems... lost. It's like she doesn't know who she's supposed to listen to now that Gabriel Agreste and Hawk Moth are two different people," he informed them. "I think being mind controlled for over half the year has really taken its toll on her."

"We need to get to her ASAP, then," Vixenne determined. "Where in your house is she? It's kind of big."

"It had workout equipment, like the gym, but it didn't look like the gym. It had sparring dummies that I'd never seen before. She said it had a secret lock, so it could be some kind of hidden room. Father is just paranoid enough that it's a definite possibility. If my father trained her before she came on the scene as Azura, then that room might be where it happened," he speculated.

"Then we get inside, subdue Gabriel, and case the place for secret rooms until we find her," Ladybug decided.

"I can't believe that the man who's been terrorizing Paris for a year and a half is my own father," Adrien groaned. "I can't believe he's this obsessed with Azura, either. It was bad enough when I found out he was a pedophile."

"Well, to look on the bright side," Ladybug murmured, squeezing her partner in a hug, "at least this is a really good reason to get Marinette to break up with him, so that will be over soon, hopefully."

"At least there's that," he agreed, hugging back.

Vixenne threw her arms around them both and declared, "And I get to keep my promise to kick your dad's butt for creeping on my best friend."

They made a plan to take down Gabriel Agreste once and for all, save Azura, and finally end a year and a half long war. The police were contacted, the authorities were briefed on the situation, and they prepared to strike.

Marinette felt like a ship in a hurricane.

She felt reality bobbing and whirling around her. She wasn't sure who to trust, if anyone.

She had spent the last six months completely devoted to a cause and a person: Gabriel Agreste, AKA Hawk Moth.

Now Gabriel Agreste was not Hawk Moth, and she didn't know who she was supposed to be devoted to.

Marinette questioned why she needed to be devoted to anyone, but then the fog rolled in again and she stopped wondering why. It was just the way things were.

She was in the training room, on a full-sized bed tucked into the corner. It had a lot of pillows and blankets, and it was very comfortable. She thought she might want to pace, but she also wasn't sure how strict Chat and Gabriel's orders to stay put were, so she didn't want to risk leaving her position.

Dusuu floated around her, whispering words of comfort or just patting her forehead with his tiny limbs. It was a sweet gesture, and it soothed the storm in her mind a bit, so she was thankful for her kind Kwami.

Gabriel had come to give her food, and had sat with her while she ate, talking to her about how he would get his miraculous back and he would keep her safe. She nodded and smiled, believing him wholeheartedly. Gabriel wouldn't lie to her. A thought about her being forcibly turned into the feral warrior willing to kill people surfaced, but it was quickly drowned again in a wave of trust and affection for the man before her.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left. She stayed where she was.

That was another thing. Her head told her that she was supposed to obey whoever held the butterfly miraculous, and that was Chat. but she also remembered kissing Gabriel. She remembered holding his hand, calling him darling, laughing with him, hugging him, being held by him. Surely that meant they were in love? She recalled telling Adrien so. It was supposed to be a ruse, but the way Gabriel looked at her and talked to her made her think that it was more truth than fiction.

He obviously cared for her, but how did she feel? She didn't know. She felt affection for him, but was it love? There were quiet doubts that tried to shout at her that something about that was wrong, but she couldn't quite catch them. They slipped away in that fog again.

Gabriel, when he was Hawk Moth, had told the heroes that she was _his_. What did that mean? Maybe she was supposed to listen to him even though he had lost the miraculous. Maybe they were...

Marinette didn't know.

Her head ached terribly, and she felt more confused and sick and unsteady the more she tried to figure out what it was she was supposed to be doing.

But she couldn't stop.

She felt drawn towards Chat. She felt a connection with him like she had with Hawk Moth. She felt his fear and his worry and his determination. She tried to reach out to him and send him comfort, but she couldn't tell if it was working.

She felt it as he drew closer, and she knew when he was outside the mansion, but he did not come closer for a very long time.

Marinette knew time passed.

She slept.

She ate what Gabriel brought to her.

She showered in the room off the training room, and dressed in clothes that Gabriel provided.

He told her that they had belonged to a woman named Madeleine. She remembered that this was his wife who used to be the peacock miraculous holder. She wondered if she was a replacement for her. She asked Gabriel that and he didn't seem sure.

"Perhaps that is what I have made you. It wasn't my intention," he sighed. "But you truly do remind me of her. Less so now that that stupid cat has stolen my miraculous and you've lost your fire."

"I'm sorry?" she apologized, sorry for disappointing him, but not sure what she had done.

"It is hardly your fault, my dear Marinette. I'll fix this. I'll fix everything," he promised fervently.

He pressed a kiss to her mouth and she tilted her head and responded how she remembered she was supposed to, but she didn't feel anything. It was brief, and chaste, and he pulled back with a fond smile and a squeeze of her hand. She thought she must have performed well, though she felt nothing about the kiss. That was good, wasn't it?

Marinette had been given permission to roam around the room, and she often transformed and exercised, just to be able to move. She felt a little more awake and alive with the power of the miraculous coursing through her. The fog wasn't as heavy.

She still tended to stay on the bed. She read some books that Gabriel had brought as a distraction from her swirling thoughts after she had complained of the pain and confusion. She sketched designs for outfits. This, too, made her feel more like herself, cleared away the fog for awhile.

She stared at the door, towards the entrance to the mansion, feeling Chat's mounting frustration, but also flickers of hope. He was getting closer to getting inside. Marinette felt good about that. She still wanted Gabriel to be happy, but she also wanted to leave this room, and Chat had promised to take her away. He had promised _freedom_ , and while she wasn't entirely sure what that entailed, she wanted it.

 _Come find me_ , she thought at Chat.

Chat and the team had been working on breaking into the Agreste mansion for days. Juleka and Alya had to leave a lot, to go back to their parents. His only parent was inside the fortress in front of him, so he only took short breaks to recharge.

He stared in consternation at the mansion as the police tried desperately to break through. He'd used Cataclysm on the front doors and parts of the wall half a dozen times, but they were somehow reinforced against his magic, according to Plagg. His father knew much more about how miraculouses worked than anyone, apparently.

He hated that he'd been so blind, and that his own father was apparently crazy as well as neglectful.

He had to know that barricading himself in the mansion behind security measures he'd reinforced after the Simon Says incident was only delaying the inevitable. He couldn't keep Azura forever, and he couldn't avoid capture indefinitely.

He had never seen his father as a warm and fuzzy person, but he had thought that he was at least incapable of kidnapping a teenage girl and holding her hostage under mind control for months and in his house for days.

Adrien had, sadly, been wrong.

He thought to check the missing persons reports to see if anyone matching Azura's description had been reported missing. He came up empty until he received a call from Marinette's parents directly while he was detransformed.

"Adrien?" Sabine's voice called to him over the line. "Are you alright? I saw what was happening on the news, with your father. If you're answering my call, I hope that means you aren't trapped inside. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Well, I've been crashing at Alya's and Juleka's places, but I don't think either of them has much room for me," he answered.

"You're welcome to come stay with us as long as you need, even after this is over," she offered warmly, but something in her tone sounded off.

"Mrs. Cheng, is everything alright?"

"Is... is Marinette with you? We haven't seen her since before the siege began, and the news said that an unknown girl is being held hostage inside. She worked closely with Monsieur Agreste, and I'm- I'm worried," she confessed in a whisper.

Adrien's blood ran cold. _Of course_. That explained everything. Marinette's secret project with his father coincided with Azura's training period, and her appearance lined up with Marinette's departure from his house. They had similar heights and builds, and the same color of hair and eyes. The compassion and the drive matched up. It all made sense and he could have smacked himself in the face for missing it. They had even speculated that Azura must have been someone in their class.

But this also meant that his father had likely brainwashed Marinette into having a relationship with him. He recalled the way Azura had cuddled up to Hawk Moth and compared it to Marinette's coziness with Gabriel.

Adrien's blood reheated to a boil.

Terrorism by itself was enough that Adrien already doubted he'd ever be able to forgive his father, but _this_? This meant that he was going to kick his father's butt himself.

"I'm going to kill him," he growled.

"Adrien?"

Crap. He was still on the phone with Marinette's mom. He inhaled deeply.

"Mrs. Cheng," he began. "Unfortunately, I think your fears are well-founded. I'll tell Chat Noir and the police and personally make sure that finding and rescuing her is priority one."

"Thank you, Adrien. Please tell Chat Noir to save my daughter. I don't know what we'd do without her," Sabine sniffled.

"I will. I promise you that she'll be okay."

He hung up and re-transformed with renewed determination to break that darned door down or rip it off its hinges so he could get the frick inside and get to Marinette.

He felt the stirrings of her emotion, as he had been since he pinned on the butterfly miraculous, which was hidden under his white shirt. She had been mostly confused and restless, but now she felt desperation and longing to escape.

" _Come find me_ " whispered at the back of his mind.

"I'm coming, Marinette. I swear to you, Princess. I'm coming."

Adrien took the Dupain-Chengs up on their offer, but he spent most of his time with the police trying to get into the mansion.

It was Day Five before they finally weakened the front door enough for Chat and Ladybug to rip it off its hinges.

They poured into the house, and it was only Ladybug's and Vixenne's combined efforts that shielded the police from the traps that Gabriel had prepared. He was a desperate man, and he was a cornered animal, and he was more than willing to bite and claw to defend what he considered his.

After all of the traps were disengaged, they split up into three teams, a group of police each led by a member of the Lucky Trio. It was Chat's group that ran into Gabriel, in full body armor with a sword at the ready. He had been quite the fencer in his day, and Chat had seen him move quickly when he ran with Marinette over his shoulder. He shouldn't be underestimated.

"Radio your men to keep searching for the secret room, but call the other supers for back-up," he ordered.

"Chat Noir. Surrender my miraculous now, and we can end this without a fight."

"Not going to happen," he snarled. "You have to know that it's over. You can't win this. Even if you get it all back, people know it's you. You can't reenact your plan for world domination. You're never going to have a moment's peace. Your cover's blown."

"I don't care for any of that," he dismissed. "I simply want my miraculous back to alleviate the tension on my dear apprentice. Then we can go and live out our lives quietly. That is all I require."

"And your son?" he asked quietly. This answer mattered to him more than Gabriel would ever know.

He paused, and made a pained face. "Adrien is too... sensitive. He would never approve of any of this. He has likely already renounced my name and has cut all ties to me. As much as I would want him with us, he would not want to come."

"I believe that," Chat huffed bitterly. "But you do realize that her love isn't real, right? You've fabricated it from your own desires. She wants to make you happy because you forced her to want to please you. She doesn't really feel that way."

"So you say," he dismissed. "Even so, I'll take a beautiful fantasy over losing her."

Chat stared in disbelief. "You're insane."

"Maybe so, but I still have the girl," he laughed. "Care to try and take her from me?"

"With pleasure, you sicko!" Vixenne yelled from the back of the group of officers. She flipped over them to land beside Chat with her teeth bared in a snarl.

"I would also like to rescue the poor girl from your terrible clutches," Ladybug added, appearing at Chat's other side.

"You'll have to wake up first," he sneered, and tossed a smoke bomb into their midst.

The Lucky Trio was fast enough to escape the blast and follow Gabriel, but all of the officers slumped down, snoring.

"Chat, I know that you want to hurt him for everything he's done- how he's betrayed you, but you're the only one with a mental link to Marinette. You're the only one who can find her," Ladybug told him. "So you're going to have to satisfy yourself with only punching him enough times to get past him and look for her while we take care of the rest."

"Fine," he growled. "Vixenne? Knock a couple teeth out for me, would you?"

"Nothing would delight me more."

So when they met up with Gabriel again, Chat kicked him in the face with both feet and flipped over his head to run past him down the hallways, mentally calling for Marinette. He heard his father roar with rage behind him, but he trusted his team to keep him busy.

 _Marinette? Azura? Answer me! Where are you? Can you give me directions?_

 _Chat? I'm in the sewing room._

He raced for that door and skidded to a halt in the decidedly empty room.

 _Where are you?_

 _Secret door. Behind the fabric shelves. Pull the bolt of blue satin._

He found the bolt and pulled on it, releasing a catch that allowed the door to swing open. Remembering what Marinette said about Hawk Moth hiding the secret switch to open it from this side, he used his staff to destroy the locking mechanism so they wouldn't be trapped in there.

He ran in, eyes scanning for Marinette. He saw her huddled on a bed in the back corner of the room, looking at him with wide eyes. He ran to her and gathered her up in a bone-crushing hug.

Chat pulled back and looked at her, face darkening when he saw that she was clothed in one of his mother's old dresses, her hair swept up in that familiar ponytail instead of her usual pigtails. His father had dressed Marinette like a doll to resemble his wife. He hated his father just a little more in that moment.

He placed a hand on her cheek and she covered it with her own, cocking her head curiously. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, but delighted. He needed to free her immediately.

"Marinette. Oh, mon dieu. Cherie, are you alright?"

"Chat," she said happily. "I think so. I am still dizzy and confused and my head hurts, but you know that. I am glad to see you, though. I would like to leave this room, please."

"Of course, Princess. I'm going to get you out of here."

He tugged her to her feet and she did not resist as he led her to the door of the room, but a blue blur rushed at him and smacked him in the forehead.

"Ow!"

"No! Gabriel said she had to stay. Leave her alone, you mangy alley cat!" the Kwami squeaked.

"Dusuu?" Marinette questioned. "We have to listen to Hawk Moth, and Chat is Hawk Moth now. He says we need to go."

"Dusuu," Chat urged. "You want what's best for Marinette, right? Well, that would be to free her from the psychopath who has had her mind locked up under his control for months. The relationship he wants with her is inappropriate and unhealthy. We need to go, now."

The Kwami looked conflicted, but then he met Marinette's blank, trusting gaze and wilted.

"I've known and loved Gabe for years, but I miss the old Marinette. I want her safe," he sighed.

"Then tuck yourself in a pocket and let's go," Chat commanded.

They entered the hallway only to be met with a looming Gabriel Agreste.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm setting Marinette free. Now get out of my way," Chat hissed.

"I don't think so. My dear Marinette, come with me. We'll go away together once I've taken care of this stray cat."

She took a wobbly step forward, face scrunched up in confusion.

"Marinette, no! He's using you. You have to stay away," Chat insisted.

Her foot stopped midair and came back to rest next to its fellow. Her head turned to Chat and her frown deepened.

"You have no idea how to wield that miraculous, boy. You're only confusing her. My dear, come to me. I know how to help you."

She looked back and forth between them, discomfort and uncertainty mounting.

"I... I don't-" she stammered.

"Mari, please. You have to go with me," Chat pleaded.

"Marinette. Remember who trained you, who taught you the ways of the miraculous, who you care for. Come to me."

"Enough!" she wailed, clutching her head. "Both of you, be quiet. I need to think."

They froze and stared at Marinette as she fought a mental battle. Her face finally calmed and she took a step towards Monsieur Agreste.

"No!" Chat shouted.

"Yes," he purred. "I knew you would choose correctly."

He held out a hand. She looked at it, placed her hand over it, then pushed it away. He looked hurt and confused.

"Nothing makes sense right now. I haven't been able to think clearly for months. I hardly remember who I am or what I used to be before I was yours," she said carefully, shaping each word slowly. "I care about you, Gabriel, but I'm not sure how much of that is me and how much is the fog you put in my head that makes everything distorted and weird. I genuinely want you to be happy, but I think I liked you better before you tried to become my everything. I don't want to run away with you or rule the world. I don't know what I want except the ability to really choose for myself."

"Gabriel." She clasped his hand in both of hers and looked up at him with earnest eyes. "If you truly love me, I need you to let me go."

There was a long moment of silence. Tears stood out in Gabriel's eyes and he sighed deeply. He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them.

"You remind me so much of her," he said. "I don't think I ever deserved you."

He let go and stepped back, hands raised, just as police rounded the corner and called for him to surrender. He turned to face him and Chat drew Marinette into his arms and watched as they hauled his father away while reading him his rights.


	4. Well, I Guess It's Over Now

A/N: Time for the wrap-up. To be clear, nobody knows who Azura is except for the heroes. Please don't be mad about the concluding Marinette ship. Thank you all for reading my little fic! Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 4: Epilogue

Chat turned into Hawk Moth for the last time to draw the akuma from Marinette's miraculous.

Ladybug purified it, and then did a random Lucky Charm so she could shout for the Miraculous Ladybug Swarm.

It swept over Marinette and when it cleared, her eyes were wide and alert and she was looking around the rooftop in confusion. Dusuu hugged her first, but then she was tackled by Vixenne and Chat and finally Ladybug.

She melted into the embrace even though she was still reeling from having her mind uninhibited for the first time in six months.

"Are you okay, Mari?" Chat asked when they all pull back.

"I'm not sure," she replied with a frown.

"What do you remember?" Ladybug asked.

"Everything, I think. It's just coming slowly," she replied. Her eyes blew wide and she gasped, "Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth. Oh, mon dieu, I was Hawk Moth's henchman. Oh, _mon dieu_ , I _kissed_ him."

She looked like she was about to throw up.

"I tried to kill you all. I got kidnapped. For days. He dressed me up like Mme. Agreste," she moaned. Her face brightened. "But I'm a miraculous holder! And I'm actually pretty good at it."

"You are," Ladybug agreed. "Which is why we'd like to ask you to join the team."

"What?"

"You'll have to navigate the bad press from your previous alliance with Hawk Moth, and his trial is going to be a nightmare, but yeah, we want you to be one of us," Vixenne confirmed.

"Is there anyone to fight now that Hawk Moth's gone?"

"There's always regular crime. And it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for any new villains," Chat piped up.

"Okay. In that case, I would be thrilled to join the team. Lucky Quartet doesn't have the same ring to it as Lucky Trio, though," she joked.

"We'll manage," Vixenne trilled. "Now for proper introductions, though you actually already know us."

She dismissed her transformation and grinned at Marinette. "Alya Cesaire. Pleased to meet you, Azura. Looking forward to working with you, partner."

Ladybug was next. She beamed warmly. "Juleka Couffaine. Nice to make your acquaintance, Azura."

Chat went last, the Hawk Moth transformation leaving him as he smiled shyly at her. "Adrien Agreste, until I think of a better last name. I believe we've already met, Azura."

"Wow." Marinette looked at her assembled friends. "The Grand Guardian really needs to broaden his horizons from the Francois-Dupont collège."

They all laughed and Adrien grinned the biggest. "Man, it's good to have the old Marinette back."

"I couldn't agree more," she declared.

Adrien continued to stay at the Dupain-Chengs, and he was both a big help in the bakery (in customer service; he was hopeless at actual baking) and in supporting Marinette during his father's trial.

Her testimony was instrumental in charging him with all of the offenses he'd committed.

All costumed heroes were allowed to submit their testimony in the form of written statements or videos. The Ladyblog was responsible for filming these.

Marinette had a hard time looking Gabriel Agreste in the eye after what he'd done to her, but she was kinder than his own son, who would have distanced himself from everything Agreste if she hadn't convinced him to help Nathalie reshape and rebrand the company instead of destroying or selling it. He decided to rename it "Paonne Fashions" in her honor. She blushed when he announced the new name to the press with her and their other teammates standing to the side of the conference podium.

Gabriel Agreste was convicted of a lot of things, ranging from domestic terrorism to sexual harassment of a minor. Marinette had assured the court, face on fire, that she had been coerced to nothing beyond taking off her top and kissing while under the akuma's influence. Adrien had white-knuckled the back of the bench in front of him, fighting not to leap across the low wooden wall and punch his father across the jaw.

Adrien never spoke to his father again until years later when Marinette convinced him to go visit him in prison if she went with him. They became much closer friends over their years as teammates in fighting crime.

The butterfly miraculous was sent back to the Grand Guardian to be locked in a box until a new wielder was needed.

Marinette and Alya slowly fell in love over the course of years of close partnership, and Alya never let Marinette hear the end of her having a Vixenne poster in her room even while she was still being mind-controlled.

They had a double wedding with Rose and Juleka, and Adrien was the man of honor for both Alya and Marinette. A cousin of Rose's was her maid of honor. He continued to admire Marinette even after she was a married woman, as a friend and excellent vigilante.

Crime in Paris was all but eliminated once the Lucky Quartet got on the case, and though some police resented the intrusion, most were grateful for the help.

Marinette attended some counselling for her time as Azura under Hawk Moth's control, but she mostly worked it out be talking to her teammates. It took time and patience to sort out what had been her and what had been Gabriel's control.

She was surprised that the public took to her so well after her part in terrorizing them, willing or not. But all of the akuma victims remembered how she had checked on them and had made sure that they were taken care of them after they were de-akumatized. They had vouched for her, and she had been accepted as one of the good guys fairly quickly.

Dusuu had apologized for helping keep her under, and she had forgiven him. Loyalty to someone as long as his had been for Gabriel Agreste was hard to break, even for mystical energy beings.

There were still times she caught herself missing Gabriel and reminding herself of all the reasons she shouldn't. There were still times she woke up from nightmares with the fog of those six months curling at the edges of her consciousness. There were still times when she would stand at the sink waiting for a telepathic message. There were still times when she thought she saw Hawk Moth or her own dark, feral persona in the corner of her eye. There were still times when certain sights or sounds would trigger a memory that triggered a panic attack.

But then she would remind herself of Gabriel's positive points and how much she cared about his son. Then Alya would wrap her arms around her and sing her back to sleep. Then her parents would call her to help frost the cupcakes. Then she would blink away the specters from the past and Juleka and Rose would guide her down the hall to the next exhibit in the Louvre. Then Adrien would steady her and talk her through her breathing exercises.

No matter how the past traumas tried to haunt her, her friends and family were there to banish them.

She had taken back the name of Azura and had taken back control over her life and her actions.

Marinette was Alya's, and her parents', and Adrien's, and Juleka's, but first, she belonged to herself.


End file.
